X Days -Marked-
by Hyoxjnn
Summary: A prequel to 'X Days', serving to bridge the gap between it, and TWEWY. Follows the journey of Katy through the original Reapers' Game, and a UG takeover orchestrated by Goumaki Mushin. [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm]
1. Prologue

**(You know, this was posted, assuming that it's the 21****st**** of December for the **_**SOSS**_** members in Murica… But now, I'm not so sure that it is.  
>I should know if it is, or not, by now. Really.)<strong>

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><p><strong>I apologize to anyone and everyone; I thought that after high-school, life would get slightly less busy, buuut apparently that's not the case XD<strong>

**Also, my earlier comment of 'writing professionally' is inert; Fanfiction has decided to disallow indents and such X'D**

**Anyway, this is my first entry in the aforementioned **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_**, or **_**SOSS**_**, if you prefer :P  
>I hope you enjoy it, but whether you do or not, you should definitely check out the other entries at the Shibuya Operation - Story Storm Community; they are most likely more intelligible than mine.<strong>

**Happy reading!**

**Note: I planned to write this **_**after**_** a certain point in **_**X Days**_**, so I **_**recommend**_**, (key word. 'Recommend'.) That you read up to **_**Chapter VII – Third Time's the Charm**_**, (which is up, right now,) before reading this.**

**Oh, you- you don't want to…?**  
><strong>Mngh… Iduncare… Iduncareabit…<strong>

***Cries***

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><p><span><strong>Prologue<strong>

**Player Side**

Rain.  
>What does rain mean to you?<br>Mere droves of water, cleaning the slate for the future? Or a gloomy affair, that dampens your spirits, as well as your clothes? Slightly more unassuming: A simple hail of Dihydrogen Monoxide, perhaps?  
>For me… Rain was the beginning of the end. A prophesy, foretelling the calamity to come. It was raining when I died.<br>I didn't realize what it meant, however… Before it was too late. That's why I carried the Sigil on my back. The Mark.

I am the reason that Shibuya fell to ruin.

I would introduce myself, but unfortunately… I don't know my real name. For now… You may call me 'Katy'. It's what I've always gone by, regardless of how 'real' it is.

I am Katy… And this is the story of how I killed the Composer.

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><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

_Step…_

_Step…_

_Step…_

"He's here… Finally." A young Reaper, Persian, ran a hand through his hair, as he watched the hooded man climb the stairs.

_Isshin Genkata __– __The Rook._

_Step…_

_Step…_

_Step…_

"I have to say, this 'plan' of yours seems rather far-fetched… But I'll follow you to the end, 'boss'." An androgynous male with platinum blond hair smirked, and crossed his arms.

_J*** S******* __–__ The Knight._

_Step…_

_Step…_

_Step…_

"Don't' waste your energy chattering…" A nearby woman, her form obscured by shadow, spoke in a low voice. "Try taking this a bit more seriously, for a change."

_N***** N******* __–__ The Bishop._

_Step…_

_Step…_

_Step…_

"Sir, are you sure you're fully rested…?" A different woman, dressed in a white kimono and red hakama, addressed the man climbing the stairs. "There is always the next Game…"

_J****** X***** __–__ The Queen._

After what seemed an eternity, the hooded man reached the top of the stairs; at it, laid an ornate, white marble throne. Taking his place, the man removed his hood, and spoke to his companions.

"My comrades… I realize that we have prepared ourselves for this day… But with our goal so close to being within our grasp, even as I feel the first tremors of excitement, I must remind you all, to exercise constant vigilance." Swishing a pitch-black Pin through the air, the man produced an intricately-carved chess-set, made of a similar, marble substance. "We have five targets." He moved his hands, placing white chess Pieces in a cross formation, on the board. "Rook: Daisukenjo Bito. Knight: Shiki Misaki. Bishop: Raimu Bito. Queen: Yoshiya Kiryu. King…" He paused. "I fear we face a considerable adversary here, my friends. Someone has been watching us. He knows that we are coming." In a moment of sombreness, the man stood. In his hand, he held up the White King Piece. "The Fallen Angel, Sanae Hanekoma, takes priority, being their King… However…" He laid the Piece in the centre of the board, so that it was surrounded by all of the others. "There is one more, that I consider a threat…" The man's hand slowly went to his cloak, and drew out a second White Queen. "The once, and future, Proxy. Neku Sakuraba."

_Goumaki Mushin __–__ The King._

Mushin raised his head, and threw his fellow Reapers a smirk.

"Not to worry…" He drew out a Black King Piece, as the others held up their own Pieces, in recognition. "Even without a Promotion on our side, it's still _far_ too early…" Suddenly, Mushin ferociously slammed his Black King Piece onto the White King, knocking it over. "… For a Checkmate."

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><p><strong>Okay. So.<br>It's short. Yes.  
>Also, I've blanked out some names.<br>Because they haven't been introduced, yet.**

**Not sure if I'll change that...Anyway, if you could tell me what you thought, I'd really appreciate it if you left a quick Review, (it only takes a moment,) despite me, personally, having several Reviews to follow up on, which I have neglected to do, because my Internet's down, and life, and… Ugghhh...**

**Anyway, again, definitely check out the other entries in **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_**, it's a follow up, (of sorts,) to **_**The Twelve Shots of Summer**_**, which was hosted by the vastly more competent Chronic Guardian. We're going to be posting a chapter per week, aaand… It's all going to go smoothly, I hope XD**

**I'll see you later, or something!  
>-X<strong>


	2. 1st Day

**Okay, so, this is my second entry in the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** event, which is a follow-up of sorts to Chronic Guardian's **_**Twelve Shots of Summer**_**.  
>There are forums and communities for each of these; I, along with a handful of others, will be uploading a chapter per week for as many as three different stories. You should really check the other works out. Like maybe now.<br>Now would be good :D**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter II<strong>

The Scramble Crossing.  
>A nexus that links all of Shibuya together; from the Scramble Crossing, one may travel in any direction, and arrive at any district of the city that they choose.<br>This day, however, was different; to a certain assembly of people, those choices, their freedom of movement, was much more… Restricted.

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><p><em><strong>1st Day<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

The sounds were the first thing I noticed when my mind had reclaimed consciousness.  
>Streetlights turning green.<br>Steps. People walking.  
>Music. People talking.<br>And then I opened my eyes.

_Where… Am I…?_ Was my initial thought. I appeared to be lying on the ground, but the sight of people walking all around me made me realize that I had to be in some public area. Why then, was I on the ground?  
>I tried moving my extremities. They all twitched.<br>That's a good sign.  
>My arms were in working order, as well. Allowing myself a moment to gather myself, I pushed myself up, onto my knees. Only now, I realized that I had been lying in the middle of a road.<br>_ Not just _any_ road…_ I recognized, after I had gotten to my feet. I had been lying in the centre of Shibuya's Scramble Crossing. _This is how Alice must have felt…_ At that moment, I had apparently made some (involuntary) witty comment on the situation. I suppose that means that I must have collected myself at that point.  
>… Relatively speaking.<p>

_Clink_

A small, metallic sound caught my ear, bringing me out of my dazed state. Looking down, I soon found its source: A small Pin was lying on the ground. _Did I drop that?_ I briefly considered the possibility. _No… Did I even have that…?_ Asking myself all kinds of questions, I bent down with the intention of removing the Pin from the ground with my left hand… My fingers brushed against the gravel, and…

The world blinked.

{Oh, no… I'm not even close to reaching my goal of making 100 people happy! At this rate, Shibuya will become full of sad people…}

{Ugh, why is my throat still killing me? Karaoke? I'm still doing eight-hour sessions, but I started bringing a friend to split the time! Shouldn't that help?}

{Dr. Fumiko smiled when she spoke to me! I think she's got the hots for me. I'm totally gonna ask her to dinner.}

"Ah…!" I let out a small, shocked cry, as an army of voices invaded the stronghold of my mind; An unbelievably diverse mass of opinions, thoughts, declarations, and creeds forced their way into my head, deeper and clearer than I had thought physically possible. On instinct, I flinched, quickly withdrawing my hand from the Pin.

The voices stopped.

I was back. My mind was once again my own; no more of Shibuya's strangers would be entering uninvited.  
>However… <em>What was that…?!<em> 'How had it happened? It was almost as if… _Was I hearing peoples thoughts?_ I stared at the circle of metal on the ground; emblazoned upon it was a unique, white rendering of what I assumed to be a human's skull, laid over a pitch-black background. I felt as if the Pin was responsible; that if I so willed it, I could reopen the floodgates, allowing the surrounding torrents to surge back in.  
>I had to know. I reached out, more carefully this time, wishing with all my heart that the voices wouldn't return too quickly. <em>Three … Two… One…!<em> My skin made contact with the Pin; its surface was cold; unnaturally cold; as if someone had only recently brought it out from an icebox. _… Nothing._ While focusing on the Pin's temperature, I realized that the voices were not returning.  
>The gates had remained locked.<br>I briefly considered the situation, but decided to take the Pin. Having no pockets to place it in, (and not wanting to place any holes in my garments,) I simply held it tightly in my fist. It was at this point that I realized I 'did not want any holes in my garments', and immediately after that, I took in my own appearance for the first time.  
>Looking myself over, I was wearing a skin-tight black tank top underneath a handmade, white cardigan with intricate patterns woven around the fabric; I could feel that I was also wearing similarly tight shorts, ("perhaps biker shorts," I recall thinking to myself at the time,) over which I had a light lavender-coloured wrap skirt. Around my right wrist were two thin, silver bangles. Finally, I saw that my feet were wearing a pair of soft boots, made of what appeared to be chocolate-coloured leather.<br>At this point, I felt a small, childish sense of panic grip my chest. _How… _old_ am I?!_ Certainly, I felt that I should be 17 years-old, but I was dressed like a… Well.  
>In any case, I ran over to the nearest building, and used their window as a mirror; staring back at me was a face that was only half-familiar: A soft, petite face with delicate, even fragile, facial features; my little nose looked like it could be broken with the flick of a finger, and my similarly small ears were barely visible; the very top of my left ear could be seen sticking out of my short, auburn hair, and my right ear was only fully visible because the right side of hair was pulled back behind my ear, save for one strand, which hung stubbornly near my right eye, only slightly kept up by a silver hairclip decorated by carvings. My face seemed that it should belong to me, but at the same time, it felt somewhat alien… Like a celebrity lookalike trying to pose as the real thing… Like a face made of familiar and unfamiliar parts.<br>The _most_ unfamiliar part, however, was my eyes. _Violet…_ I gasped internally, as I stared into them. Were they really _my_ eyes? Surely not… Right?  
>The pair of eyes staring back at me filled me with dread… Some unspeakable feeling, that hailed disaster. <em>How many people,<em> I thought, _do, in fact, have violet eyes…? Nobody I know…_

And that's when it hit me.

Thinking about it, trying to find someone who I knew with violet eyes… I realized that there was no-one. Not that there was no-one that I knew with _violet eyes_… There was _no-one I knew._  
>My heart rate began to increase, and my hands pressed against the window, as if trying to touch my reflection; hoping to affirm that I was real, that I was here…<p>

And then the second revelation came.

My face, which gave me a feeling of familiarity and unfamiliarity, and my eyes, which I only had a vague sense of affiliation with… I found that I knew absolutely nothing about either. I knew nothing about anything. I didn't have a single memory from before I awoke. I… _Who… Am I?_ Sinking to my knees, the girl in the window followed my lead, her face contorted in horror, her breathing increasing in volume and frequency, until it reached a fever pitch…  
>I started to scream, and everything went black.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

{Kyo's boarding at the park the other day was supremely awesome. That sweet 360 he pulled off? Hot! Wish I could get air like that…}

{At the singles party yesterday, some girl was like, "Hey, you remind me of Mt. Fuji!" Is that supposed to be a compliment?}

{I can't get her out of my mind… How am I supposed to concentrate on work when I've got it this bad? Oh! Maybe it'd be easier if I just broke up with her!}

"Tch…" A young man in front of the Statue of Hachiko finished Scanning the area, and shook his head in irritation. _I heard a scream… There's no-one around here in distress…_ The young man had scraggly black hair, slightly long for a boy, while his face showed minor stubble that was beginning to grow; clothing-wise, he wore a black hoodie, (hood down,) jeans, and sneakers, (somewhat reminiscent of a certain cheery free-runner.)  
>At this point, the man determined that the person who had just screamed was either dead, (seeing as he couldn't Scan them), out-of-range, (an option that he noted simply for the sake of doing so,) or an un-Scannable Player, like him.<br>He was hoping for the third option.  
>Wasting no more time, the young man sprinted off towards the Scramble Crossing.<p>

Unbeknownst to the young man, the Game Master was watching him from above; laughing quietly to himself, the Game Master let out a quiet whisper, "yes… I do believe we have our candidate…"

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

_"… Music…?"_ I vaguely recall walking through a dark, moist tunnel; the walls were lined with graffiti, their colour stood out amongst the darkness.

_"Ca-… -ing… -ou hear t-… -ling…"_ My ears barely picked up words in the distance; a haunting female voice was singing.

_"… Who are you?"_

_"Calling… Some-… -s calling…"_

_"What are… I can't hear you…"_  
>The voice stopped.<p>

_"'Katy'… That's you… Tha-… -r name."_ Before I could move, the voice's owner, a hooded figure in white, flew towards me.

_"… The world's on your shoulders."_

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><p>After I had passed out, (rather embarrassingly,) I was rudely awakened from a strange dream by a shaking sensation. When I opened my eyes, it was immediately apparent to me that I had moved from the spot by the window; more accurately, I was now <em>moving<em>. "Hey- Let go of me…!" I cried. I was in the arms of someone: A black-haired man in a black hoodie; he appeared to be running, and as such, every step he took was transmitted to me as an unpleasant, jolting sensation.

"You're awake…!" He gasped, quickly setting me upright; my legs wobbled as I regained my balance. Before I could question him, he unceremoniously grabbed my hand, (ignoring my protests,) and spoke rapidly. "Form a Pact with me!" I fell silent and stopped struggling for about a second, taking in what he said.

"… What?!" I hadn't the faintest idea about what he had meant, so I simply resumed my attempts to free my hand.

"Please!" He pointed behind us. "To stop the Noise!"

Confused as I was, this time I didn't stop pulling, though I _did_ look in the direction he was pointing, if only out of instinctual curiosity. "… What in the…" This time, I stopped; what greeted my eyes was a swarm of red and black rushing towards us, moving so fast and packed so tightly that I couldn't make out anything other than colours. If anything, it was akin to static on a television…

"You have to hurry!" He pleaded me. "Those creatures are the Noise! If you don't agree to Pact, then we'll…" He trailed off.

I didn't like the idea of following the orders of someone that I had just met, but I also didn't like the idea of being assailed by what, if this person was to be believed, was apparently a horde of some kind of monsters. "… Alright, I accept!" I relented, gripping his hand back.  
>Suddenly, I was blinded by a flash of light, before the man spoke again.<p>

"Great! Follow me, the Mission's at 104!" He started to run, again pulling at me. The monsters called 'Noise' hadn't disappeared, but appeared to have slowed down enough to outrun.

So I followed him.

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><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

"We're Partners!" The male Player yelled as he reached the outskirts of Scramble Crossing. With his hand, he was firmly keeping a hold on a young lady's wrist and pulling her along, much to her chagrin.

"You…!" His companion's face flushed as she attempted to keep her composure, but hearing the man publically announce he and her being 'Partners' was a new level of audacity for her. "Listen here-" She stopped mid-sentence, realizing that he had only been addressing one person: A nearby figure in a red hoodie, with a shoulder bag.

"…" The Red Hood watched the two of them momentarily, before grunting, "Pact confirmed." The air ahead of the two seemed to shimmer and shine for an instant, before settling back to being invisible.

"What was-"

"Later! Just keep running!" The man cut her off.

Behind them, in the centre of the Scramble, stood an androgynous-looking, platinum-blonde haired, boy, who appeared to be in his teens. Flipping his hair with his hand, the boy better-uncovered his left eye, though his right eye remained completely obscured in a typical 'emo' fashion. A vicious grin formed on his face, and his only visible eye's crimson iris glinted with malice; pulling out a phone, the boy dialled a number, waited two rings, and said four words. "Knight here. They've Pacted."

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><p><em><strong>1st Day – The Opening Gambit<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>First off, it occurs to me that the next <strong>_**SOSS**_** post will take place after New Year's Day. So, 'Early Happy New Year', everyone~!**

**Second, it may have escaped your notice that Katy only narrates the Player Sides, not the Reaper Sides.  
>So… I am now pointing out that Katy only narrates the Player Sides, not the Reaper Sides.<br>… Yeah.**

**Anyway! I was planning on continuing 'till 104, but I felt like this was perhaps maybe a better ending.  
>Also New Year's stuff.<br>Ehhh…**

**Before I sign off, I again implore you, nay, **_**beg**_** you to look at the other **_**SOSS**_** entries. Seriously. They're good.  
>You can view them at the <strong>_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** Community :D**

**Buh-bye,  
>-X<strong>


	3. 2nd Day: Part I

**Week 3 of the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** challenge!  
>By now, most of the participants are probably settling in; things are getting heated…!<br>… Maybe.**

**For those of you who don't know, **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** is an event that I'm hosting, in which the members work on a certain number of short stories, posting chapters over a 13 Week period… It's fun.  
>Very cool.<br>Meteoric.**

**I highly recommend having a squiz at the other works on the SOSS community, buuut… Only if… You want to, I suppose…  
>…<strong>

**IZ CHAPTER 3.**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter III<strong>

Chess is an interesting thing…  
>An ancient game, existing in many different forms and fashions,from the Indian 'Chaturaṅga' to the Chinese 'Xiangqi', and even Japan's own variant: 'Shogi'… It wasn't difficult to compare chess to a military war; chess is a battle, a cunning, strategic war of wits between two minds, each seeking to overcome the other.<br>But here, where two chess-masters locked horns; Shibuya itself at stake…  
>… Who was it, really… That acquired the Checkmate?<p>

_**2nd Day**_

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

I was losing my patience.  
>Though I attempt to conduct myself in an orderly fashion at all times, I had found it difficult to compose myself after this young man, a complete stranger, had yet failed to produce a single satisfactory reason for dragging me about as you would a sack of potatoes, (a rather egregious example; I believe more care would, in fact, be taken with the transport of potatoes.) Yes, the situation was… Urgent, (though it was also wildly unrealistic, confusing, and essentially caused one to question whether or not they were conscious,) <em>but<em>, staggered as I was, I was perfectly capable of walking on my own two feet.  
>I had, of course, attempted to convey this to my enigmatic friend as he led me to 104, with little luck.<p>

"Okay…!" He let out a long breath, at last releasing me from his grip. "Timer's going! We made it." He commented, gazing at his right palm as he did so.

"Timer…?!" For the perhaps-fifth time of the day, I felt a sense of alarm rise within in me; something appeared to be suspended above the young man's hand, but even as I stared at it, it seemed to be quickly fading away into nothingness. Driven by instinct, I brought my own right hand up to my view…  
>Nothing.<br>I drew my own gaze back to my companion's hand, but whatever had been fading, had now faded; his hand was as plain as anyone's could be.

"Did you miss it?" He asked, baffling me further. "Maybe it disappeared before you looked…?" He stroked his stubbled chin, making a large show of his being in thought. "Come to think of it, since you're left-handed, maybe the Timer was applied to your dominant hand…" As he scratched his head, with a relatively relaxed expression on his face, I turned my left hand over.

Of course, it was too late to verify his 'theory', but there was a more important question at hand. "… What do you mean 'Timer'?" I watched him steadily, my body trembling. "No, before that… Who _are_ you? I wake up with you… Carrying me, fleeing from some kind of monsters, after which you request that I 'Pact' with you; a request with which I complied, only to have you parade me around to the 104 Building, making a show of us being 'Partners'…!" I finally stopped, though more out of a need for Oxygen, than anything. Believe me, I had _plenty_ more to say, but my perplexing partner then saw it fit to take advantage of my momentary pause.

"Right. You're right…" He held up his hands, as if to show he meant no harm, (and, if I wasn't mistaken, looking a little frightened of me.) "My apologies, I've completely forgotten my manners." (At this point I was feeling a slight pang of guilt for venting all of my frustration onto him… But only a slight one.) "Please, ask me anything you wish; I'll see if I can't help you out… After all, we _are_ Partners now." He finished with a smile.

Resisting the urge to question him about us being 'Partners', I decided that I should know who I was speaking with, first. "Okay…" I took a few breaths to calm myself, with moderate success. "First of all… If you don't mind," I added, regaining my composure, "who… Are you?"

"What, me?" He laughed, pulling his hood down, revealing more of his tangled, jet-black hair. "Of course. Let's see…" He crossed his arms and closed his dark eyes for several seconds. "Well, the name's Magokoro Muki."He quickly typed up some characters on his phone, and showed me:

**Magokoro Muki  
>(<strong>**無気****真心****)**

"Born April the 1st, my blood type is A. I'm an Aries, and one hip DJ, miss." He returned his phone to his pocket, with an uncomfortably friendly, optimistic grin. Apparently Mr. Muki had used those seconds of silence to put together a personal advertisement.

"… I see." I acknowledged; satisfied that I had, at the very least, his name, (among several other relatively useless pieces of personal information.)

"I also like to gamble. My favourite word: 'Stratagem'. Ramen gets my tummy rumbling." … It appeared that Muki had not finished.

"Thank you, but that's-" I started; content with what he had already told me.

"As for my physical dimensions-"

"Stop. Please." I held up a hand in protest, tilting my head down in a bid to conceal the growing flush on my cheeks; I feared that if he went any further, what little purity we had established in our short association would be forever lost.

Mercifully, Muki relented, an amused smile forming on his face. "Well, I've done my part, in any case… So," He gestured to me, "may I ask _your_ name?"

I hesitated. Normally I would provide my given name, at the very least, but by this time, I was already fully aware and acceptant of the fact that I had apparently suffered some form of retrograde amnesia. However, I was somewhat uncomfortable with discussing said topic at that moment, so I gave him the only name other I knew. "… Katy." I said, finally. "You can call me Katy."

"'Katy', hm?" He considered me for a moment, and then smiled warmly. "That's a nice name."

That was the last thing I heard him say.

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

"They've made a Pact? You're certain?" The Queen stared into the Knight's single, unblinking eye; like an interrogator would a prisoner of war.  
>"I'm <em>absolutely<em> sure, my dear." The Knight chuckled, holding his hands up in mock-surrender. "Would I really make a mistake in judging such a simple thing?"  
>The Queen did not answer, either out of a lack of care, or a lack of want to highlight the obvious. "Rook." She addressed the young Persian Reaper standing on the edge of Pork City's rooftop. "You're making your move on Day 3. Be ready."<br>"Pfff…" The Rook sighed, staring off into the horizon; his mind was plainly elsewhere.  
>"<em>Rook.<em>" The Queen repeated, with more force.  
>"… Don't worry, I got it." He acknowledged with a wave of his hand; making it clear enough that his manner did not reflect upon his competence.<br>"The Bishop is laying all of the preparations," a new voice entered the area; the others turned to see the King walking towards them, smirking. "In a matter of 4 Days, the entirety of Shibuya should be ensnared in her 'territory'… You all may have noticed that _her_ Entry Fee seems to be her life's memories…" He gestured to the 104 Building, where the Players of the Reapers' Game were now sleeping. "That, we can be grateful for," he spread his arms wide, "we, CHECKMATE, are now that much closer to overthrowing the Composer…!"

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

"_Oh… You're back."_ I _was_ back… At least, as far as I remember.

_"… I can hear you, now."  
><em>

_"Of course you can."_ The voice stated.

_"Where is this?"_ My voice came out as a low whisper; the very air seemed to strangle me when I tried to talk.

_"… The River. You're at the edge, teetering at the precipice…"_ That same, ghostly female voice echoed through the tunnel. _"… But you haven't quite fallen yet… Not as I have."  
><em>

_"… And what do… You mean by that?"  
><em>

_"It means…"_ She paused, sounding unsure for the first time.

_"… What?"_ I pressed, feeling an urge to know.

At that moment, I noticed a figure in the distance, slowly approaching; the same hooded person from earlier. Their features were almost indiscernible, their form hidden by a hooded cloak, pure white; immaculate, save for the tattered ends, which gave the appearance of some sort of white Grim Reaper. _"I'm tired, Katy… So tired…" _Despite the words and manner of the White Hood, I remember finding myself overcome with some kind of primal fear… This person, if they were a person, was no mere stranger, this person was someone far above me, someone that I should by no means engage… _"I've lived far longer than you can imagine… But it's…" She stopped again.  
><em>

_"… It's what…?"_ I choked out, despite my mind screaming at me to run as far away from this hooded figure as quickly as possible.

_"… It's too much."_

* * *

><p>Magokoro Muki awoke with a stir.<br>More accurately, with a foot.  
>My foot.<p>

Having previously awoken before him, I decided to wait a few minutes, before exploring the area for a while. We were back at Scramble Crossing; perhaps someone had dragged us here while we slept.

But for that matter… Why had we fallen asleep in the first place?

_So many questions…_ Initially, I had planned to stay by Muki's side until he, too, had awoken… But after a short amount of time, I realized that the people constantly walking past us couldn't merely be ignoring us… I performed a quick experiment, and discovered that we were invisible; not only that, we were also, apparently, incorporeal: When I finally chose to walk around, it was after Muki had been 'run over' by a vehicle for the third time.  
>I first attempted to walk back to 104, hoping to see the Red Hood again; he was the only other person I knew, (literally,) and he could potentially explain what in the world was happening to me.<br>I was abruptly met with a crushing blow to my nose from an invisible wall.  
>As I recalled, during the day prior, Muki had told the Red Hood that we were 'Partners', at which point, the air ahead of us had shifted, and 'faded' away, like some sort of mirage.<br>_Perhaps it wasn't air, but… Glass…?_ Absurd, of course, I only raised the possibility to myself for the sake of finishing my thought; it was ludicrous that a giant glass wall, one capable of materializing and de-materializing on command, could be blocking the way to the 104 Building… Then again, I had come to terms with some rather unbelievable things yesterday… Maybe invisible walls weren't such a stretch. Recovering from my shock, I held my aching face, and swiftly scanned the area with my eyes; no-one appeared to be looking at me… I truly was 'dead to the world'.  
>I would later come to appreciate just how fitting that statement was… But back to Muki.<p>

"Nngh… What…?" The young man rolled onto his back, woken by the prodding of my boot into his side.  
>"You've been asleep for at least ten minutes," I informed him, my irritation likely showing on my face, "Perhaps we should get moving, now?"<p>

"… 'f course." He mumbled, clearly not wanting to leave the comfort of the ground.

I waited patiently for him to stand, and then immediately asked him, "Why were we asleep? Why can't people see or touch us? Why are there invisible… _Walls_ all over the place-"

"Walls, huh?" He seemed to take it in stride. "How many, and where?" He replied with his own questions, in a rather serious maner.

"… Well, there are five in total, I believe…" I told myself that if I wanted him to communicate with me, I would have to be willing to communicate with him. "We're blocked off from the 104 Building, The Statue of Hachiko, _leaving_ Shibuya, in general," I emphasized that particular barrier, pointing at the southern road, "the Shibu Department Store, and Centre-"

"So essentially, we're trapped in the Scramble Crossing." He finished for me. Not in a rude manner, but in an irksome one, nonetheless.

"… Yes, that would be correct." I held myself back from making any kind of biting retort.

"Has the Mission come yet…?" He asked, half-rhetorically, bringing his phone out as he did so.

"… What 'Mission'-"

_Beep, beep_

"Ah, speak of the devil…!" He grinned as his phone buzzed in his hand.

"Look here-" My patience had just about run out, when I realized. "… My phone's… Going off, as well...?" I spoke slowly, growing more and more confused by the second.

"Well, yeah," Muki said, matter-of-factly, "is that a problem?"

"I… Don't have any pockets for my phone…" I patted my hips, where I had felt the phone vibrate, but of course, my skirt still had no pockets. "… Also, I don't own a phone." I realized.

"Really?" My beguilingly self-satisfied acquaintance smiled "What's _that_, then?" he pointed around me with his finger, indicating a space behind me.

"What's…" I moved my hand to my lower back, and found myself grasping something made of cloth. Looking around, it appeared as though I was wearing some kind of pouch around my waist. _How long has that been there…?_ Craning my neck back, I could see that inside the half-unzipped pouch was a sleek smartphone with a violet casing.

Just like my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>[Bout II: Face the Noise for 5 Minutes. Fail and be Erased.]<strong>

"Face the 'Noise'?" No sooner had I read the message on my phone than I felt a stabbing sensation in my hand. "_Ahhh…!_" I couldn't help but cry out in pain as a red-hot spike of agony was driven through my flesh. My phone dropped to the ground, landing with a clean 'clacking' noise.

"_Mmnngh…!_" Muki ground his teeth; apparently he had received a similar feeling. "Hah… That still stings…"

"_What_ just-" I was cut off yet again, but this time by something entirely different… I had spotted what I earlier only caught a glimpse of on Muki's palm.

_4:59…  
>4:58…<br>4:57…_

Floating above my left hand, which had been holding the phone, were a series of bloody red digits, counting down as a stopwatch would. "What… Is that the Timer?" I stared at it in disbelief; shaking my arm up and down proved ineffective at removing the numbers.

"Yeah, for the Mission!" Muki exclaimed in his usual 'what-else' fashion. "… You really don't know?" He looked me over.

"_No_, I don't." I stressed.

"We have to complete the Mission before the Timer runs out, or we'll both be Erased!" Muki flailed his arms around, presumably in an effort to drive the urgency of the situation home. "Or… I suppose in this case, it's '_until_ the Timer' runs out… That's different."

"Right you are!" A rhythmic, swaying male voice called out."

"Who's there?!" Muki immediately bounded towards me, and pivoted 180 degrees in one step, now standing between me and the new arrival; a bespectacled man who was walking towards us at a leisurely pace.

"Relaaax, kids…" The man was tall… Wearing a pair of blue-grey denim jeans, (from which a decorative chain of stylized metallic crosses hung,) which complimented his simple, white shoes. "It's only the second Day, so let's take it easy while we still can, huh?" With a flick of his wrist, a small pack of 'Noise' emerged from the air around him; for the first time, I could see them clearly… _Skulls…?_  
>The Noise were floating, two-dimensional, symbols, resembling a variety of animal skulls.<p>

"You're a Reaper?" Muki held his ground, spreading his arms out, shielding me.

If he was trying to look chivalrous, it was only partially working.

"'sright," the man replied.

As I continued to look him over, I realized that on the man's back were a pair of black, metal-like wings, protruding from his black, sleeveless parka, which was adorned with the image of a white-ribcage. _What in the…_

The man ran a hand through his vivid, orange hair, closed his eyes and sighed; the type of sigh that a child sighs when asked to wash the dishes, "a'ight, there's a bowl of ramen riding on this, so I guess we'd better get started." His other hand rose up; now in view, I could see that he was holding a…

"… A lollipop?" I commented involuntarily.

"It's bean paste, actually." He chuckled, placing it in his mouth, and moving into a more battle-ready position, "okay, you've got about 4 minutes 30," he grinned, sending a chill of dread down my spine, "show me what you've got…!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>2nd Day: Part I – Blitzkrieg<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>I keep wondering if I'm cutting off at the right segments, but… Kariya, man.<br>No better way to end.**

**XD**

**So, that's three chapters down! That's basically 30%...!  
>Wow… That's… Hm.<strong>

**Again! If you like what you're reading, you should hop over to the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** Community, and indulge yourself in the other, more enjoyable works :D**

**Also maybe leave a review? A favourite?  
>They keep me going X'3<strong>

**-X**


	4. 2nd Day: Part II

**Oogh… Week 4.  
>This isn't going well for me X'D<br>(I'veonlyreviewedonce…Thestruggleisreal.)**

**Hello, everybody!  
>This is my fourth entry to the <strong>_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** event; the participants, (myself included,) are periodically updating a variety of stories over the course of 13 weeks… Kind of.  
>It's complicated :P<strong>

**Complicated as it **_**is**_**, however, I **_**do**_** insist that you type up '**_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_**' in your little search bar, because there's a community jam-packed with many more stories! :D  
>You will, no doubt, enjoy them :)<strong>

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter III<strong>

To attain victory in chess, one must target the king, as well as protect their own; for this reason, the king is labelled the 'most important Piece' on the board.  
>Is that not strange?<br>The strongest, most capable piece is most certainly the queen, which combines the strengths of the bishop, the rook, and technically, by extension, the king itself.  
>The king is arguably the weakest piece in the game; even the lowly pawn, after much hardship, may be promoted to a queen… But the king will never improve itself. It will never grow in strength.<br>The king, for all of its 'importance', will never learn to move more than a single square, one step, at a time… Like a lazy dictator, the idle king can only order its subjects, cower behind its rook, and flee from its enemy in fear…

Step…  
>Step…<br>Step…

* * *

><p><em><strong>2nd Day: Part II<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

A flash of scarlet, and I found my world turned upside-down.  
>Finding myself yet again struggling to keep conscious, I became vaguely aware that I was alone. The orange-haired 'Reaper', and my rather taxing excuse for a 'Partner' had vanished, along with every other human in sight. <em>That's… Not right…<em>  
>I was alone in the Scramble Crossing.<p>

And then, the Noise came…

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

Koki Kariya chuckled to himself, observing the Muki fight off the Dixiefrog Noise that Kariya had sent his way. "Hm…": He mused, attempting to gauge the strength of the fledgling Player. He seemed to grasp the concept of Psychs, though his Soul wasn't as impressive as Kariya had expected.  
>Just as he finished that thought…<p>

"_Shockwave!_"

_Kzzzt…!_

A solid strike sent the Dixiefrog Noise flying to the far side of the road, granting Muki a brief respite. As Kariya watched him catch his breath, a faint, green light caught Kariya's eye.

_Oh…!_ He grinned, as the light grew into a bright radiance, forming a glow around Muki's body. "You got a Puck up… Very nice!" Kariya complimented Muki.

"'Puck'…?" Muki repeated, only taking his eyes off of the Dixiefrog for a moment. "You mean… The Light Puck?"

"Bravo!" Kariya applauded. "The Light Puck, that's right… So if you'll excuse me…" Kariya released two extra Dixiefrog Noise, and prepared to shift Zones. "… I have to educate your Partner. I think she'll need my assistance a bit more than you…" With a casual wave of his hand, Kariya disappeared from a bewildered Muki's sight.

**Player Side**

Of all the strange occurrences that had transpired in the past few days, this had to be the strangest yet.  
>Standing in an empty, ghost-town of Shibuya, I was being assaulted by… Frogs. Three large frogs, adorned with… What I could only describe as 'tattoos', lunged at me, relentlessly pursuing my every step; the foremost made contact with my boot, and I was unexpectedly struck by an extremely painful sensation; it was as if my lower leg had been plunged into a vat of acid "<em>Ahhh!<em>" I screamed in agony, and instinctively kicked the frog as far away as I could, my mind wracked with dread and panic, I could only keep running. Just then, when I caught myself thinking that nothing else could possibly happen…

_Bump_

"_Mmph…!_" I let out a lungful of air in surprise; not paying any heed to my front, I had run directly into… Him.

"Whoa there, girl," the orange-haired Reaper smirked, and I quickly took two steps away from him, fearful of any kind of harm that could come from him, "gotta calm down. You won't beat the Noise like _that_."

"You-" I had no idea what I was going to say, but that soon became irrelevant; fortunately, in the act of looking at the Reaper's face, I miraculously caught a glimpse of an attacking 'Noise' in the reflection of his spectacles. "_Ngh!_" I wasted no time in throwing my body to the right; somehow, I found myself performing a relatively graceful handspring, keeping my balance on point, and evading the frog Noise by a fair margin.

_Kzzzt…!_

Looking back from my manoeuver, I saw that the frog Noise had been obliterated by the orange-haired Reaper… Rather easily, in fact; with nearly as much effort as you or I would exert to swat a fly.  
>Slightly distressing, for me.<p>

"Whoa…!" The man's eyes widened behind the tinted lenses of his glasses. "You almost got _me_ with my own Noise, there!… That's gotta be some kind of… Record…" The man muttered to himself, rather unperturbed by the events unfolding around him; while I found the tribulation to be a matter of life-and-death, it seemed that my ordeal was markedly more trivial for him, than it was for me. Before any other moves could be made, I was caught off-guard by yet another unexpected turn: A shining, emerald sphere of light rippled into existence, blinding me like the sun would; I had no time to react, a mere split-second after materializing, the light flew towards me, coating me in its grand incandescence… The world seemed to shift and shimmer like a mirage. Through my ears, I heard a melodic sound like that from a cluster of wind chimes; my eyes glimpsed a hazy vision, a translucent image of Muki, fighting off his own batch of Noise, and I could… Feel what _he_ felt; I could feel Muki's anxiety, his determination, and his worrying for himself, as well as for me.  
>It was as though… Our minds were somehow synchronized.<p>

"_Shockwave!"_ Muki cried, swinging his arm horizontally; his Psych hit a Noise dead-on, Erasing it in an instant.

I then realized that I suddenly knew what a 'Psych' was.  
>I suddenly knew a great deal of things.<p>

My left hand dove into my pouch, and drew out a Pyrokinesis Pin… I wasn't prepared to resign myself to fate, just yet.

* * *

><p><em>00:02…<br>00:01…  
>00:00<em>

_Is that it…?_ I held my breath in apprehension; just as I had finished Erasing another Noise, the Timer had hit zero… My uncertainties were, thankfully, for naught: The Timer disappeared, taking any and all of my unspoken fears of mine with it.  
>It was over.<p>

"Great, great," the Reaper sighed unenthusiastically, licking his 'bean paste', "you pass, flying colours and all; thanks for playing, and all that."

"Why so glum?" A familiar voice questioned the Reaper.

"Muki!" I turned, breathing a sigh of relief upon catching sight of my Partner. _We're back…_ I noted; without my perceiving it, the three of us had returned to the 'normal' Scramble Crossing; the streets were once again filled with chatter and people, just as they should.

"I said a bowl of ramen was on the line, remember?" The Reaper simpered, brandishing his 'bean paste', "thanks to you two, I just lost 500 yen. Good work." He added, chuckling in his now-recognizably nonchalant fashion.

"You're… pretty laid back for a Reaper." Muki commented, keeping a firm a grip on his Shockwave Pin, cautious of any other possible threats.

"Am I? I dunno, I've been doin' this Harrier thing for too long, I guess… Kinda tired by now." He shrugged, apparently fine with whether he was or not. "… Well, see ya." He turned away from us, and walked away with a bored, lazy gait; like a high-schooler breaking off from his friends to go home.

"Wait…!" I blurted out. "You… That's it? You try to kill us, and now you're just… Leaving?" My mind had come crashing back down from its previous, 'enlightened' state; at the time, I had thought it to be the adrenaline leaving my system, (though I would soon find that that was _not_ the case,) but in any case, I had returned to a relatively distressed state of mind, the reality of the situation was reasserting itself to me.

"Huh?" Groaning, the orange-haired Reaper twisted his head around, and stared straight at me. "What, do you _want_ me to fight ya again…? You're pretty high-maintenance." The man laughed at his own joke, and then spoke to Muki. "Scruffy, take care of the lady; it sucks to have an Entry Fee like hers… Believe me, I know." He faced forward, and continued to walk away. "Later."

Within a minute, I was left alone with Muki, staring in disbelief at the spot in which the Reaper had stood.

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

"And the valiant Knight returns…!" The Knight announced in a playful manner, joining his two comrades on the roof of 104.

"Well, look who's back…" The Rook greeted the Knight with a friendly wave.

"Another Day down, huh?"

"Indeed," the Knight nodded, twirling an antique cane, a 'charm' of sorts, in his left hand. "Everything had, so far, gone 'without a hitch', as it were."

"Good to see that you're taking your position seriously, for a change…" The Queen crossed her arms, and turned her head away.

"Hm…" The Knight merely smiled in response. "The Bishop is still out?"

"Of course," the Queen replied straight away, "she'll have deployed her Revel Points before the Week is half done. Just as the King projected."

"Where _is_ his royal majesty?" The Rook grinned, addressing the Queen in his usual, individualist manner.

"… Occupied." The Queen stated. "Just concentrate on your position, Rook."

"'fcourse, I will…" The Rook complied, looking over the edge of the 104 rooftop. "But that _is_ my position, isn't it…?" He rested his chin upon his hand, now talking to himself, more than anyone else. "I'm 'The Castle that guards the King'… Right?"

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

"So… If what you're saying is to be believed… We're trapped in this… Week-long 'Reapers' Game'," after I recapped, making sure that I had heard Muki correctly; he nodded, "a Game that we entered into of our own free will," he nodded again, almost bored, as if I should know all of this already, "and, as an… 'Entry Fee', the Reapers… Took my memories…?"

"'sright." Muki nodded one final time, driving home the utter triviality that the situation held for him. "Well, I mean…" He rephrased. "… It _looks_ like your memories are your Entry Fee; I'm just assuming you don't have short-term memory loss, or somethin'…"

"… Okay." I said, at last; I wasn't necessarily accepting all that he said to be true, though I thought it best to play along for the time being… The prisoner gains little from struggling against the warden. "… What happened to me earlier?"

"'scuse me?" Muki raised an eyebrow, apparently unaware of what I meant.

"Earlier, that 'Light Puck'… I …" I stopped, searching for the words needed to explain myself.

"Ah, well," Muki, now on the same page, answered for me "the Light Puck is…" To my exasperation, Muki paused, as well; he had similar trouble explaining it, it seemed. "… It kind of… Syncs us up."

"'Syncs… Us up'." I echoed in a deadpan voice, not sure what to make of it.

"Yeah… It's sort of… A carrier," he smiled, seemingly satisfied with 'carrier', "it carries our thoughts, our feelings our emotions," Muki gestured with his hands, more confident, now, "it makes us… The same, you know? Ergo: Sync us up."

_… Great explanation._ I repressed the urge to say it out loud… But at the very least, I had a slightly better grasp on what had happened. "So, the Light Puck is why I knew about Psychs, and Pins, and… Noise?" The experience had been such a rush; like a burst of adrenaline, I hadn't thought to question it. "It was like someone was forcing information into me…"

"Hmm…" Muki held the back of his neck, thoughtful, "that seems a bit excessive, even for the Puck… Maybe," he held up a finger, and gave me a theory, "since your mind is so empty," (I decided that his choice of words was an unfortunate mistake, and let it slide,) "it sorta acts as a vacuum for information; that's why the Puck's influence on you was that much stronger." He grinned obnoxiously, as if he was a star pupil being praised by his teacher. "'slike… Empty minds learn fast, huh?"

_... He's not doing it on purpose._ I told myself.

This was going to be a long week.

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

The Scramble Crossing was populated by near a hundred people, walking, talking… Noisy. Among them were four residents of the UnderGround: Katy, Magokoro Muki, and…

"Knight." A low voice startled the young Knight; realizing that there was only one person who would stick to the shadows as the voice's owner did, the Knight smiled.

"My." The Knight placed a hand on his head, and regained his composure as quickly as he had lost it… Though, he had perhaps never lost in the first place, really. "Ms. Bishop, what _are_ you doing here? Don't you have… 'Bad Luck' to spread?"

"…" The woman cloaked in darkness paid him no heed, and fired off a question of her own. "… Why aren't those Players asleep?"

"That would be because the Day hasn't ended yet, I'd say." The Knight shrugged.

"Why not?"

The Knight simply said, "I'm watching them." Still not bothering to look in her direction.

"That's not relevant."

"It _is_, if you take it to mean…" The Knight turned his crimson eye on the Bishop. "… _'Go away'_." His voice, polite and calm, was laced with an unusual bloodlust; a stark contrast to his usual jovial demeanour.

"… Fine."

The Bishop departed as she had arrived… Silently.

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

"… Hm." Magoroko Muki made a sound, and pulled out his phone. "… It's been half an hour since the Mission ended." Speaking to me, he sounded slightly… Worried.

"…" I stayed silent. According to Muki, all Players should fall asleep after a Mission is cleared.  
>… Somehow.<p>

"Well…" He scratched his head. "If we're not goin' to sleep… Want to take a walk?" An ordinarily reasonable proposal, but in light of the circumstances, I confess… I wanted to stay still, for a bit.

"I know this great ramen joint!" Muki jabbed a thumb in the direction of 104. "Or a café, if you prefer; it's pretty hip."

_There's that word again… 'Hip'._ While I knew perfectly well what I wanted… The courteous action to take would be to accept his offer… He _had_ saved my life, after all. "… Very well," I attempted to form a small smile, "whichever's closer."

"Great! That would be Ramen Don," Muki beamed, "they have Mystic Ramen on sale, right now!"

"Wait, how do you know-"

"That lady over there," he pointed to a nearby teenager, "but they're almost out, so let's gooo!" Not giving me a chance to respond, Muki sprinted off, leaving me little choice but to follow. _… "That lady over there"…?_ I thought as I set off after him at a brisk pace.

* * *

><p>'Dogenzaka' as Muki called it, was not as I remembered it.<br>Or maybe it was.  
>Truth be told, I had no idea… But I <em>did<em> feel a twinge of familiarity upon hearing the name…  
>A minor comfort.<p>

"So, Muki… I hadn't given it much thought, but…" I looked around before finishing in a whisper. "… Can people see us?"

"Uh… No. Not really." Muki answered, as the two of us walked up Dogenzaka. "Kind of. Well…" He scratched the back of his head.

"… Which is it?"

"… We're… In the UnderGround, or 'UG', for short."

"Okay…?"

"We're not invisible, it's… We're just on a separate Plane of Existence, so…"

"Ah, I see…" I nodded my head. "Any given being can only perceive a being on the same Plane as them… Or lower, I assume?" I motioned to the various people around us. "Considering we can see and hear everyone here." _Interesting that the 'UnderGround' would be higher up…_

"… Yeah, haha," He laughed lightly, almost forcing it… Perhaps he hadn't caught on as quickly as I did. "… You catch on quick, huh?" … Yes, I would say that he didn't.

"So, did you hear that lady from earlier talking to someone else?"

"Oh, that? No, I…" He chuckled, and held up one of the few things my amnesiac mind recognized: The Skull Pin. "I _Scanned_ her."

_… Dare I ask?_ "And… What does 'Scanning' mean…?" _Yes._

"Your Player Pin," Muki explained with a smug look on his face, "can read people's minds. Essentially." My eye's widened in surprise, as my hand went to retrieve my own 'Player Pin'.

"Oh, that's right." Muki's satisfied expression disappeared, and he drew another Player Pin out of his hoodie pocket. "This is your one; it was next to you when I found you… I forgot to give it back." He handed it to me, his face now apologetic.

I hesitated, remembering my first encounter with the small piece of metal… After a moment, I quickly snatched it from his palm, and shoved it into my pouch. "… Thank you."

"No worries," he smiled, gesturing to a shop with a sign reading 'Ramen Don', "we're here. Shall we?"

"Hold on," I followed him, despite my recent revelation, "how can we order anything if no-one can see us-"

"_Irrashai!_ I see you two!" A boisterous male voice boomed out as soon as we set foot in the shop. My mouth opened ever-so-slightly in shock. "What would you kids like?" The friendly storeowner roared with laughter.

"Wh-"

"_Domo, Doi-san!_" Muki laughed back. "_Otaku no eigyou hanjoo, desu ne? Omise mo odoroku hodo subrashii…!_" Muki surveyed the store with an impressed expression on his face, as I looked on, bewildered

"_Gahaha! Magokoro-kun, datta ka!_" The storeowner laughed again. "_Eigyou kai? Sore wa kimitachi no okage janai, kana?_"

"_Sou kana? Betsuni…_"

My mind was in a state of complete confusion; it was almost as if… "Uh… Muki."

"'sup?" He answered instantly.

"… What language were you speaking?" I asked, feeling rather foolish.

"Japanese." He stated, matter-of-factly.

"… Aren't we already speaking Japanese?" I was growing more and more confused.

"I dunno… _Aren't_ we?" He gave me a funny look.

"_Hora, hora_," the storeowner rhythmically tapped his hands on the counter,"_isoide nanika o chumon shitekureyo!_" The storeowner pleaded in a joking manner; he walked over, and held Muki in a friendly embrace.

"_Haha, jaa, ore wa Misutikku Ramen wo chumon suru… Akiraka, da ne._" He added, (not that I could… Really understand what he was even saying,) as the storeowner brought him to a seat, and placed an already-prepared bowl of ramen in front of him.

"_Gahaha, akirakadattana?_" They both shared one more laugh, before the storeowner returned to me. "… _Hoh…!_" He looked me over, like a gemmologist appraising an amethyst, (I shuffled around in slight discomfort, wondering what the repercussions of simply fleeing the store would be,) and then, for a reason that was entirely lost on me, gave an astonished gasp, and turned to Muki, "_masaka…! Magoroko-kun… Kono wakai josei wa kimi no koibito, ka?!_"

For some… Indiscernible reason, Muki, who had already started eating, noisily spat out whatever had been in his mouth, (I cringed as the overall awkwardness of the situation went up to eleven,) and began coughing, choking on what I assumed to be strands of noodles stuck in his throat.

Somehow… As the storeowner, (or 'Ken Doi', as I would later come to know him,) rushed over in a panic, to help Muki… I smiled. This was… At this moment… The closest thing that I had to a family. This place would, for many years, be the only place I could ever call… 'Home'.

… I couldn't help but laugh.  
>Soon, they, too, laughed.<br>It was… Nice. Peaceful, even.

… Unfortunately, just as it is 'Darkest before the Dawn'… The following days would prove… That it's also 'Brightest before the Dark'.

* * *

><p><em><strong>2nd Day: Part II – Adjournment<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Alright! That's another down XP<strong>

**As you can see, while the Player Sides are always narrated by, and follow, Katy, the Reaper Sides don't necessarily follow one specific Reaper, (the Game Master, the Knight, the Queen, Kariya, etc.)**

**Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed that!  
>I tried to… Inject a bit of humour into the end there, buuut… Did it go well?<br>…**

**EVERYONE ON **_**SOSS**_**, I WILL REVIEW. I'M TRYING. PLS. I'M SORRY.**

**-X**


	5. 3rd Day

**Uh.  
>So, we're 5 weeks into <strong>_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** :D  
>Aaand I've only reviewed… Once…<strong>

…

**This must change.**

**Seriously.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter V<strong>

Though the queen is arguably the most versatile Piece in chess, it would be fair to say that the pawn has the most _potential_.  
>The pawn, a common, lower-level piece, follows orders without question, only ever marching forward, unable to defy its orders, unable to run…<br>At least… That's how it is at a Game's beginning.  
>The pawn, a mindless drone, a cog in the king's machine, possessing no identity to call its own, may initially charge forward by two squares; every subsequent turn after that, the pawn seems to experience fear, or even reluctance, only able to move one square at a time; the pawn begins to develop its own sense of self, distinguishing itself from the other pawns.<p>

Ordinarily, the pawn may only attack a diagonally adjacent square in front of them; interestingly, the pawn is the only Piece in the Game that changes its movement pattern to attack. Once a pawn has advanced far enough in the field of battle, it undergoes another change: If it so chooses, the pawn may, for the first and only time in the Game, dispatch a charging enemy pawn, by cutting it down from its side… At first, the pawn could only follow a preordained move-set, but at that point… If only for a moment… The pawn defied the rules of the Game, and attacked as it saw fit. _Acted_ as it saw fit.  
>For that one moment… The pawn was no mere pawn; it had moved to its own will. One could say that, for the first time in its life… The pawn had been able to move without being ordered to.<p>

For the first time in the pawn's life, it had rejected the road given to it… And walked its own path.

* * *

><p><em><strong>3rd Day<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

"… _Huh?"_ Once again, I was having that same, recurring dream; standing in the dark, graffiti-ridden tunnel. This time, however, it was slightly different. _… I'm… Alone._ Looking around, I found that I was, indeed, completely alone; the White Hood that ordinarily accompanied me was nowhere to be seen. _… Oh…!_ As my eyes flew around the area, searching for any kind of movement or indication of life… Something caught my eye.

_Step…  
>Step…<em>

_Drip…  
>Drip…<em>

"_Fff, haah… Fff, haah…" _My footsteps echoed through the tunnel, joining the dripping of water, and my own, sharp breaths; the only sounds in this otherwise soundless place. _… This graffiti…_ Staring at the bright mural on the wall, I could see many different elements that had been incorporated into it. _A lion, a Grim Reaper, and…_ I paused, not sure what to feel.  
>The white skull of the Player Pin stared back at me from the wall.<p>

Where… Was I…?

* * *

><p>I gasped, and awoke with a start; from what I could tell, I was lying on my side, back in the middle of the Scramble Crossin; the gravel crunched beneath my form, as the first wisps of consciousness began to take hold of my mind. <em>… Did the Day end?<em> I immediately considered what I had last been doing. _I was… With Muki, at Ramen Don…_ I quickly recalled. The unpleasant smell of exhaust fumes attacked me, and the chatter of Shibuya's residents maintained its usual swell; my eyesight was unfocused, still booting up, as I left the strange dream-world behind. I pressed my hand to my left eye, attempting to stimulate my blurry vision into correcting itself; I rolled to my left, and… "_WAAAH!_" My entire body jerked backwards, as my right hand reflexively struck Magokoro Muki in the face.

_Smack!_

"_Oww…!_" Muki, who had been crouching next to me, (_far_ too close for comfort,) retreated a step backwards, and held his cheek. "… That's some slap you got there…" He grimaced; from the look on his face, it appeared as though he had not expected me to be so quick. Neither had I. "… Just use that against the Game Master and we should do alright." He added, chuckling, and rubbing his skin.

"_Wh-… You…!_" My hand recoiled, as I attempted to compose my flustered self. "… What were you _doing?!_" Now sitting on the sides of my legs, I shuffled away from Muki, both out of embarrassment, as well as guilt.

"I was waiting for you to wake up." He replied straight away, in his usual, straight-forward manner. "I didn't want to _kick_ you awake, or anything." He briefly alluded to the Day prior, where the situation had been somewhat reversed: _He_ had woken with _me_ standing over him.

"… Couldn't you have waited at a more… _Appropriate_ distance?" My words spilled out of me, half-chosen, and half-instinctual; my face began to match the colour of his reddened cheek.

"Oh, don't worry," he laughed, still caressing the mark I'd given him, "I will, next time." He smiled, apparently unaware of the intense discomfort that he had instilled.

_… Is this man completely ignorant to the concept of 'personal space'…?_ Unable to think of anything suitable to say to Muki, I opted to wait for the Mission in silence.

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

_Creak…!_

He cringed upon hearing the sound; the door sounded like it hadn't been opened in years. "… You should really get that oiled." He called out, despite the apparent lack of people in the building; the lights were off, and the air was musky. "… Hm." He tilted his head slightly, like a confused, curious puppy, and stepped inside, closing the door behind Him. "You're not here…? Really?" He raised His voice, hoping that the intended recipient of His words was merely out of sight. "… Well, that's a pity. I haven't adopted this form in so long; I rather thought you'd enjoy the trip down memory lane." He smirked, and continued to talk, perhaps pretending that He had a conversational partner. "Heh," He let out a single, short sound of amusement, and sat down at the counter, "I suppose you finally decided to close the silly place down…? It never did do much but take up your time…" He giggled an uncharacteristically girlish laugh for a male, and twirled a strand of His platinum blond hair around His finger. "… They're coming." He stopped laughing; His voice was now low, and serious. "I might not be able to stop them… It might not even be the… Best course of action…" He paused, and closed His eyes, thoughtful. "… My vision's clouded. I haven't ever seen anything like this… So, wherever you are, I hope you can hear me. I need your help." The Composer, Yoshiya 'Joshua' Kiryu, opened His eyes, which were shining their usual bright violet, and smiled solemnly. "I'm counting on you… Sanae."

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

"… Oh." My eyes stayed closed, concentrating, but I couldn't help but mutter in astonishment. "So… This is 'Scanning'." I held the Player Pin firmly in my left hand; as with all other Pins, it had felt ice-cold, until I had initiated its Psych; it now felt like it had been heated in a furnace… It was comparable to a piece of metal that had been freshly smelted, though the intense temperature of the Pin caused me no pain… Perhaps it was a thing of the mind.

"Don't lose focus…!" Muki, who had suggested that I attempt a Scan, cautioned me. "If you let your mind wander during a Scan, you could end up drawing in a Noise, instead."

"… Of course." I managed to reply. It was unbelievable; if Shibuya was loud, than this… Well, there was no word for it; the amount of information you can verbally convey… It _pales_ in comparison to the amount you can mentally imagine.  
>Multiply that by roughly one thousand. That's what I was hearing; Scanning in such a city, an area populated by the highest possible number of people, filled with the most unique thoughts… You might as well listen to every television channel and radio frequency at once.<p>

"Right now, you're just skimming the surface," Muki elaborated, "you can hear the strongest thoughts of every person in the area; like reading email subjects in an inbox."

"… Okay." I forced another word out of myself; I felt that if I moved, I would, somehow, cause something to go wrong; if the Scan's intensity increased, I would not be happy.

"If you concentrate on a certain person or persons," Muki continued, "you can read their thoughts more… In depth; think of it as opening the email, when previously, you had only read its subject."

"How poetic." I immediately said. _Uh…_ I hadn't meant to say that, at least, not out loud; with all of my concentration on the Scan, it appeared as though I had none left to stop myself from making any involuntary comments. So with that, I terminated the Scan, and let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. "That… Certainly was…" I tried to convey the mixed emotions I felt.

"'Lucid'?" Muki offered with a grin.

"… Yes, in a word, I suppose… 'Lucid'." I hadn't gone so far as to personally read any one person's mind; at best I had a jumble of disconnected words from everyone. To go any further would have felt like an invasion of privacy. _In fact…_ I thought to myself. _As amazing as that was… I think that I will refrain from Scanning anyone in the future, if I can help it._

_Beep, beep_

"The Mission." Muki dropped his grin; we went for our phones simultaneously.  
>I felt a small feeling of irritation cross me, as I read the Mission Mail.<p>

**[Bout III: Erase the Noise from the Possessed Boy. You have 120 Minutes. Fail and be Erased.]**

Fate was a cruel mistress, indeed.

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

"_There_ you are! Where were you yesterday? It's _tiiime!_" Koki Kariya sang. "Mission's up, Uzuki; we've got a good, long two hours to Harry us some Players-"

"_Really_, Kariya?" Kariya's sunny disposition was met by a cold stare from his partner, a female Reaper with bubble-gum-pink hair, curled up on the rooftop's surface like a child with a stomach-ache. "The _one_ time that I want to slack off, you actually want to work?"

"That's what I'm here for," Kariya closed his eyes, and sighed. "we complement each other nicely; You're the dark and gloomy Yin, and I'm the fun-lovin' Yang."

"Excuse me?" Uzuki Yashiro sat herself against a wall, not wishing to stand up. "I am _so_ not 'dark and gloomy'."

"'_Ugh, Kariya!'_" Kariya raised the pitch of his voice, and sluggishly flailed his 'bean paste' around, "'_you are, like, _so_ lazy, why are you so lazy?_'" His mimicry drew an even colder stare from Uzuki. "_'stop it with the games, they're so _boring_; if you don't work harder, then I'll be, like, promoted without you, and then we won't be togeth-'_ _oof!_" Kariya doubled over, winded, as Uzuki shook her fist, wincing.

"Ow, that _hurt_," she watched Kariya quickly begin to recuperate, "have you got a bunch of Pins under your hoodie, or what…?!"

Kariya stood up straight, fully recovered, and held his 'bean paste' to his lips in a bored fashion. "what, these?" Kariya reached into his hoodie's pocket, and drew out a handful of packaged…

"… _Lollipops!?_" Uzuki stared at the mass of sweets in Kariya's hand; she had often wondered how he always had one at the ready; she briefly considered the possibility that it wasn't real, and thus, would last forever… But now, it seemed that Kariya had been keeping a large backup-supply on his person at all times.

"_'Bean pastes'_." Kariya corrected Uzuki with a flick of his… 'Bean paste'.

"… You've been carrying those all this time?!" Uzuki's jaw dropped.

"If by 'all this time' you mean 'since we met', then… Yes." He chuckled, and dodged a second punch from Uzuki.

"All those times I've wanted a snack, and you've been saying you've had 'nothing on you'!" She screeched, and swung at Kariya, who neatly sidestepped.

"Can't let you lose your figure, girl." He snarked, cramming the 'bean pastes' back into his pocket. "'sides, these are specially made for me."

"By who… Oh, whatever…" Uzuki sank to the ground, and curled back into a fetal position, having lost interest and expended whatever energy she had.

"… Oh boy... You're _really_ out of it today." Kariya knelt down, slightly concerned. "What happened to you? Didn't Erase enough Players yesterday, or something?"

"Don't be stupid…" Uzuki lay motionless for several seconds, and then sat herself back up. "… One of them got me." She held a hand to her own stomach. "… Almost got Erased."

Kariya's eyes immediately narrowed, and his demeanour turned unusually serious. "You almost got Erased by… A Player?" He asked slowly. "On Day 2?" Such an event was very rare, almost unheard of; a fresh Player outclassing an experienced Reaper was comparable to David killing Goliath.

"Well, we can't fight _back_, but yeah…" She murmured. "… He's strong."

"Can you tell me who… 'He' is?"

"… Kariya," Uzuki, placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, and brought him very close, "this guy… I'm not even sure he's a real Player."

Kariya's eyebrow twitched upwards. "What makes you say that? If he's not a Player, then…" 'What is he', was the question that immediately rose to his mind.

"… I set some Noise on him… And he destroyed them all in an instant; that's when he nearly got me." She grimaced, painfully remembering. "And… He didn't attack me on Day 2." She added. "He attacked me on Day 1."

Kariya drew in a sharp breath; he could see where Uzuki was going.

"… He didn't have a Partner with him." She finally said, confirming Kariya's worries. "Kariya… I think he might be a Reaper."

The orange-haired Reaper nodded, keeping in his usual, calm state of mind. "Not much else he _could_ be, I guess…" He sighed, and pulled out his phone. "I guess we'd better report this."

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

_13:41…  
>13:40…<br>13:39…_

After Scanning the Scramble Crossing, we had immediately run for 104; surprisingly, there was no Wall, though the reason for that soon became clear: Dogenzaka, Shibukyu Main Store, and the 104 Building itself, all had their own Walls; we had to choose which place to search. After tearing through the 104 Building, we checked Dogenzaka, where I had resisted the urge to ask Ramen Don's Ken Doi about yesterday's events. Muki quickly spotted two other Players: A pair of children, (I was both amazed and disturbed that such youngsters were playing this Reapers' Game,) exiting the Pork City tower at the edge of Dogenzaka; I would have liked to have talked with them more, but considering the objective at hand, we could only tell each other the places that we had searched, before going our separate ways.

* * *

><p>"Hey, you two!" Muki yelled. "Holding up okay?"<p>

"Oh, you can see us!" The girl of the two beamed, and ran towards us, holding the other Player, a little boy, by the hand. "Yes, we're fine, thank you!"

"No…" I slowed down, in disbelief. "They're Players…?" I whispered to myself. _That's awful…_

"We've checked out Pork City; there's no one in there" The boy said. "Are you and the lady alright?" His rather polite question threw me even more off-guard than I had already been.

"We're good, thanks kid." Muki grinned. "You must've come through the 104 area… But the Wall on the actual Building was up, so you didn't go in?" He pointed to the two of them, speaking quickly.

"No, we decided to search Pork City first, as it's rather large," The girl replied, "we came straight here from 104, as you I assume the two of you did, as you approached us from that direction?"

"That's right." Muki nodded; he looked genuinely impressed by the girl's quick thinking.

"Me and big-sis are gonna go straight to Udagawa," the boy chimed in, "we'll search all the areas on the way."

"Cool," Muki agreed, "Katy and I'll go 'round to A-East, and then try the Station Underpass."

"Excellent," the girl happily approved, "good luck out there!" She then gave us slightly sad, apologetic look, as if to say 'I'm sorry we can't stick together', before her brother shouted.

"Okay, break!" He laughed, and pulled on his sister's hand, running off in the direction of the Scramble Crossing.

"N-… Wait…!" I choked out, having finally found my voice, but it was too late; Muki was already pulling me in the opposite direction.

"They'll be fine, Katy." He reassured me as he dragged me along. "If they survived two Days, they're more capable than they look. Worry and hesitation won't accomplish anything."

"… I know." I reluctantly accepted; I knew in my mind that what Muki was saying was true… But it was terrible; what kind of horrors had those innocent children faced up until now? What kind of horrors _would_ they face from here on in?  
>If they were afraid, they certainly didn't show it; perhaps it was all a game to them, beyond the literal sense; they <em>were<em> children, after all.  
>I subconsciously resolved to do their share of worrying for them, and continued searching.<p>

* * *

><p>With Pork City clear of any people at all, A-East was next, which also proved to be empty of 'Possessed Boys'; clearing the Wall into A-East's Concert Stage yielded a similar result, as did the Shibukyu Main Store district.<p>

Looping back to the Scramble Crossing, Muki and I found a possible clue around the Statue of Hachiko.

* * *

><p>"Anything?" Muki called out as he Scanned the area.<br>"… No, I'm sorry; I see nothing here, either." I began to disengage the Psych, when a nearby thought fragment caught my ear.

{-e's late… That's weird… He was acting all strange; I hope it wasn't anything I did…}

My attentiveness wavered for the briefest of moments, and I found myself dangerously close to Scanning a nearby Noise. "_Agh!_" I forcibly shut down the Scan, and reflexively brought an arm up to shield my body.

"Katy?" Muki's voice was alarmed; he began to lower his arms.

"No, wait!" I stopped him. "Don't stop! Scan that girl with the glasses!" I pointed to a bespectacled teenager standing next to Hachiko, it was her thought that I had heard.

"On it!" He complied at an impressive speed, and I quickly joined him in Scanning the girl, mentally apologizing to her as I did so.

{It's not about… That time, again, is it?...} She bit her lip. {… No. He'd tell me; we don't hide things from each other anymore.} Releasing her lip from her teeth, she adjusted her large, circular glasses, and smiled warmly. {Well… Except for his surprise party,} the girl giggled to herself, {it's going to be so fun… All our friends'll be there… I can just picture his face when he sees us… He's going to totally flip!} She laughed, slightly louder this time, sending waves of warmth through me; I'd never seen anyone so happy. {I'm glad we could meet each other… So hurry up and get here, okay?... N-}

"Katy!" Muki's voice shook me back to reality; I dropped my Player Pin, and the Scan ended.

"Wh-… Huh?" I took a step back, dazed.

"We can't stay here forever," he pointed in the direction of the Station Underpass; he had stopped Scanning her a while ago, "we need to check the Underpass."

"Oh… Of course." I retrieved my Player Pin from the ground. "… My apologies." I bowed, low and formal; the feeling of utter contentment from that girl had overwhelmed me… Her honest, straightforward thoughts had stunned me… I couldn't…  
>…<p>

_Slap!_

"_Ow…!?_" I jerked upright to see Muki, who had just slapped the top of my head, wearing a comically unamused look.

"The hell are you doing…? Apologize at a 'more _appropriate_' time, we got work to do!" He threw my earlier words back at me, stunning me… But then I laughed.

Muki looked on as I laughed, for the first time in a long time; at Ramen Don, I had laughed, but that was a lighter laugh; filled with amusement at Muki and Ken Doi's antics, and a thankfulness for the 'life' that I had, then and there… As I stood at Hachiko, I laughed harder than I had ever before; I laughed so hard that I began to cry. The look on Muki's face changed from unamused, to confused, to being completely at a loss; I laughed even harder.I was laughing a loud, confused, lost, amused… Sad kind of a laugh.

And then… It ceased.

"… I…" A few tears continued to run down my cheeks, as the last bouts of laughter escaped me. "… I'm afraid. You said that if we win, we get our Entry Fees back… But… You know what you've lost. You know what's waiting for you, back in your ordinary life… I don't." I held a hand to my mouth, begging myself to stop crying. We could get through this. _Just… Stop crying…_ "I don't even know why I'm in this Game in the first place… Maybe…" I stopped, and considered the worst. "….. Maybe I'm here… Because I _wanted_ to die." Before I could say anything, I suddenly felt a pressure around me.  
>Muki was hugging me. "… What are you doing…?" I asked, my voice still affected from my breakdown, wavering in pitch and volume.<p>

"… We're Partners." He said, in his always-constant, simplistic way. "… We have to support each other… Right?" He smiled at me; a smile laced with sadness. Muki wasn't just comforting me because we were Partners… He was genuinely sharing my sadness… Trying to ease the burden I carried, even if… By that tiny, little bit.

He was always so… Caring. So… Nice. Friendly.  
>Magokoro Muki was, for all his quirks, the best person I knew… Never giving up, ever ready to prop me back up whenever I fell… I thought… I knew that no matter what happened in this Reapers' Game, Magokoro Muki was the one person I could always trust… Who I could call my friend. He was always there for me.<p>

…

And it disgusted me.

I was infuriated at myself; an ugly surge of emotion, a mixture of jealousy and self-loathing, ran through me. How could he stay so calm? So… Rational? I was suddenly possessed by a desire to know what _his_ Entry Fee was; he had said that a Player's Entry Fee is whatever they value the most…So what was his? That he attempted to comfort me, while he, too, had lost the centre of his world… It was unimaginable.

I was sad.  
>I was angry.<br>Enraged.  
>Sickened.<br>Revolted.  
>I wanted to burn myself in the flames of my own <em>Pyrokinesis <em>Psych, and see just how quickly it would take for me to scream for Magokoro Muki to help me, to see just how quickly he would help me, as he always did, and to measure just how heavily I depended on him.

For all the Reapers' evils, I was certain, at that moment, that I was the most despicable, loathsome being in the entire Game.  
>Even that orange-haired Reaper had spared us; in the act of fighting us at less than full strength, I knew that he had <em>allowed<em> us to walk away unscathed.  
>Perhaps he did it out of apathy… A lack of interest in killing us.<br>But it mattered not.  
>That was what he had done.<p>

And what had _I_ done?  
>What.<br>Had.  
>I.<br>Done?

…

Nothing.  
>I had done nothing.<br>Thinking back, I realized that I had done absolutely nothing worthy of note since this Godforsaken Game had begun: I had woken at the Scramble Crossing, passed out, and been saved by Muki; the next Day was no different: I only managed to _confuse_ myself further, by running into a few Walls, and I was, of course, once again saved by Muki, as it was only he that could provide me with the answers I sought, and afterwards, I barely managed to impress myself with a few simple Psychs, Erasing what were _literally_ the weakest Noise in Existence, thinking even _harder_ on it, I was _again_ saved by Muki, as it was only thanks to his Light Puck that I even figured out how to use a Psych in the first place.  
>Nothing.<br>I had done nothing.

Always failing, only ever being saved, relying on Muki, being weak, asking, pleading, losing it, crying, _whining, pretending, protected, dependant, __**inadequate, feeble, useless, desperate, REPULSIVE, FAILURE, USELESS, WEAK**_

_**FAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILURE**_

_**USELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESSUSELESS**_

_**WEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAKWEAK**_**_!_**

…

It took me a while to realise that I was screaming.

…

And then everything went black.

…

…

…

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

_Creak…!_

"… Man, that sounds bad. I gotta oil that, or something-"

"Yes, you really should."

"_!_" The man's hand flew to the light switch, and flicked it on; immediately he caught sight of the voice's owner. "… Josh…!"

"Ah, there you are, Sanae." Joshua smirked, still sitting at the counter of the Wildkat Café. "It's been a while."

* * *

><p>"And who's your friend…?" Joshua quickly noticed that Sanae Hanekoma, the Producer, was carrying a body over his shoulder.<p>

"Not a 'body'." Hanekoma corrected Joshua, sighing. "She's alive. Well…" The disgruntled barista decided to rephrase his point in better words. "… In the UG."

Joshua seemed to freeze for a moment, his brow furrowing and his eyes widening by the minutest of amounts… And then, time resumed its normal course. "Oh… You Scanned me…? Are you carrying a Player Pin, Sanae?" Joshua looked his old friend over, laying the unconscious Player down onto a sofa, and giggled. "It _is_ appropriate, I suppose; you look… Rather different," Joshua shook his head, "were we not such old friends, I don't believe I would've recognized you. Are _you_ a Player this time around?"

Hanekoma said nothing.

"Ah, of course… I suppose that was _you_ who almost Erased that Yashiro Reaper… She's not as strong as you might think." Joshua joked.

"… A lot's happened." Hanekoma said, simply, as he moved behind the counter to brew some coffee.

"Of course, you're right." Joshua suddenly looked rather unhappy, sensing that it wasn't the time for jokes. "'Fallen Angel', and all that… If _they_," Joshua's eyes briefly looked upwards, "catch you… It won't be pretty…" His normally jovial face was now looking sincerely remorseful; the finger playing with his hair slowed its course, as if equally saddened.

"I've said it before… I'm at peace with my status as a Fallen Angel… I don't blame you," Though Joshua's body remained motionless, Hanekoma could see by looking at his eyes that he had flinched marginally, "or anyone else for it… And, since we're talkin' about it, I wanted to thank you for speaking for me to the Council."

"It was… The least I could do…" Joshua looked down as Hanekoma slid a cup of House Blend his way. "… They're coming."

"I know. I heard you." Hanekoma nodded, and took a sip from his own cup.

"What should we do…?" Joshua wondered as he picked up the House Blend.

"… This girl here's special." Hanekoma indicated the sleeping figure on the sofa.

"'Special'?" Joshua repeated; were this any other time, he would've made some sort of matchmaking joke… But as he already knew, this was not the time. "'Special' how?"

"… If Neku was your Proxy… Then you could say that she's… _His_ Proxy."

Joshua stiffened. "… That's not good…" He said, after a long pause. "… Considering her… Rather impressive Soul, _he_ has likely hand-picked her…"

Hanekoma gritted his teeth. "If only… I had noticed her while she was alive; we could've made contact… Too late now." He let out a long, drawn-out breath. "… Can't reveal myself now. Can't even give her a hint. _He's_ locked me out… Her Entry Fee's causing a strong destabilization in her Soul… Worse than Neku Sakuraba's, by far…" Hanekoma looked at the door, and back at Joshua. "We shouldn't be here when she wakes up… _You_ shouldn't be here at all…" Hanekoma ran a hand through his jet-black hair, and sighed, observing at Katy's unconscious form.

"… Hee hee," Joshua giggled, and looked Hanekoma right in the eye, "fret not, Sanae; we can't give up just yet… Chess is, after all…" Joshua laid his now-empty cup back on the counter, and held up a finger. "… A war of attrition."

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

Darkness.

No dream greeted me this time. No strange vision… Nothing.  
>Just darkness.<p>

And then… A light.  
>I slowly opened my moist eyes, and found myself lying on my back… I remember getting up, but my memory of this moment is very vague…<br>I believe I was in a café of some sort; a pleasant-looking place; I recalled that Muki had said something about a 'hip café'… Was this it?

The door flew open, and Magokoro Muki burst in. "You alright?!" He… Said something along those lines. "He's outside! The target!" He seemed concerned for me, but he was also very frantic… Our Timers must have been very close to zero. "I can't Erase the Noise alone! Come on!"

I felt hollow; I was, now more than ever, completely and utterly empty… Like a puppet with its strings cut, I had nothing left.

No memories. They were taken by the Reapers.  
>No emotions. I had all but expended them.<br>No thoughts… What was there to think?

I did, however, have one small spark of life within me: Will.  
>The Will to act.<br>The Will to never give in.

"… Okay." My voice was dry, and quiet, serving to move myself, as well as communicate with Muki. Wordlessly, I somehow managed to walk past Muki, and out onto… Cat Street, it was called. _There._ I saw him; we Scanned the Negative Noise around the boy, and engaged them.

I moved like a machine; with no emotions, instincts, nor plans, I fought; my body moved out of the way of any and all oncoming attacks; as if I had been programmed, I efficiently and effortlessly destroyed the Noise that had hijacked the 'Possessed Boy'.  
>No Imagination left… My Psychs were powered by pure Will… Nothing more.<p>

Simple.

The Timer vanished.  
>Muki looked relieved… As he should have been.<p>

…

…

…

But then something very peculiar happened./  
>As I understand, Negative Noise, when latched onto someone, instigate negativity into their target. Erasing the Noise frees that person from their influence, giving them a rush of euphoria; any normal person would simply 'feel better'…<p>

But this boy was no normal person.

"Wait…!" A voice stopped me and Muki, as were walking away. He turned around, a look of surprise on his face. I merely turned. "Is anyone there…?" The boy looked around, his eyes passed over us a few times…

'Of course, he could not see us', I had thought.

And then he said it.

"Are you Players?"

That time I did react, slightly; Muki's eyes narrowed, he looked to be attempting to understand what was happening.

"I can't see you here," he continued; despite his inability to perceive us, he certainly had realized that we were there, "but we can talk in Wildkat; it's got a Decal." He indicated the café that Muki and I had exited. "Please, follow me, it's important…" The boy jogged over to 'Wildkat', and opened the door, pausing to turn to us.

His clothing was a mixture of black, blue, and white; his eyes stared into us, filled with a seriousness that compelled us to do as he said, and his hair… A striking orange, that reminded me of the Reaper that we had encountered. _'So hurry up and get here, okay?... N-'_ was the last thing I had heard from that girl's mind; the 'N' immediately made sense with his next words.

"My name's Neku Sakuraba… I'm an ex-Player, and I want to ask you some questions."

* * *

><p><em><strong>5th Day – En Passant<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>I really don't know what I'm doing. I don't, really XD<strong>

**I know what I **_**want**_** to do… Buuut as to whether I'm managing to do it, that remains to be seen :'P**

**Since you're done reading this, let me tell you, there are some great finds in the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story **_** Community; it's great fun, you should throw everyone there a Favourite, a Follow, a Review, etc… You'll enjoy reading their works, I'm sure :3**

**I need to… Life.  
>I need to life, that is a… Thing.<strong>

…

**Mmmngh…**

**-X**


	6. 4th Day

**I… This may have been late- no, this was definitely late by America's time zones… I am sorry X'P**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter VI<strong>

There is one instance, one time, in any given chess game where the king may move two squares, as opposed to the ordinary one square.  
>Of course… The manoeuvre in question is an inherently defensive one, in which the king takes cover behind his rook.<p>

In other, more concise words: The only time the king can muster the resolve to move faster… Is when he's running away; quaking with fear, hiding in his castle whilst his soldiers are fighting for him…

* * *

><p><em><strong>4th Day<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

_Drip…  
>Drip…<br>Drip…_

When you can only remember a small fraction of your life, it almost feels as though you really have lived... Only for that small fraction. Scale is warped out of proportion: Everything seems new; daunting… Days drag on for what seems like years, every minute feels like an hour, time becomes so unbearably compressed, that you are inevitably driven to insanity.  
>Myself, I may as well have been born in Shibuya's Scramble Crossing, on the Day that the Reapers' Game started; my mind maintains that my life began at that point in space and time, though my instincts insist otherwise. It's been that way for as long as I can recall.<p>

That's why I had already lost track of the number of times I had found myself dreaming about _that_ place.  
>I took one step forward, testing the solidity of the icy, hard ground before me; freezing spikes of cold penetrated my boots, and worked their way up my legs, filling my chest with a feeling of numbness. It occurred to me that I had never thought to explore the vast tunnel that stretched out to either side of me… But then I realized that I also had no desire to explore. Not at this very moment, at least.<br>Before I could make another move…

_Jingle…_

Moving far quicker than I had thought possible in my drained emotional state, my feet kicked the ground, and I instantly whirled around, leaping into a ready-to-react position, like a martial artist assuming a battle stance.  
>That's when I saw it.<p>

_Step…  
>Step…<br>Step…_

I instantly felt a deep connection with _that object_… It was only but a few metres from me… A few more steps, and I would be within reach of _that object_.

_Step…  
>Step…<br>Step…_

There, stabbed neatly into the ground right in front of me, below the Player Pin graffiti, was _that object_… I wanted to touch it, and thus far, I had really not been one to deny my own wishes.

My hand moved almost automatically, and as I grasped the golden, filigree-patterned, latticework-ridden, multi-ringed staff… The strangest thing happened.

…

…I couldn't help but think about the legend of Excalibur…

* * *

><p>A sharp breath inwards, laced with dust and dryness, was all it took to pull me back into the world of the wakened. With no further ado, I unceremoniously prised myself off of the road, and got to my feet. My dead eyes slowly searched the area; I quickly found Muki, sleeping a metre or so away from me.<br>Having neither the drive nor the thought to explore the Scramble Crossing once more, I approached the nearest wall, and sat against it, waiting for Muki.

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

Magokoro Muki lay in the middle of the Scramble Crossing, his ears and body detecting the many, many footsteps belonging to the various passing people; at one point, a certain set of footsteps caught his ear.  
>When you have been in Shibuya for as long as someone like Magokoro Muki, you learn to deduce one's nature by their footsteps; a useful, if strange, skill. Most of Shibuya's footsteps were fast, loud, unrestricted, and… Full of life.<br>It was very easy to pick out Katy's footsteps over the rest.

_Slow… Quiet… Mechanical… Dead._ Muki subconsciously analysed his Partner's mentality as his mind roused from the depths of sleep; as he fully awoke, his eyes opened, and he took a deep breath inwards. _Another Day…_ He thought to himself.  
>There was much work to be done.<br>Like a light switch being flicked 'on', Muki sprung to life, pushing himself up, onto his feet. "Katy." He immediately called her; if she was still in a state like yesterday's, it would not be easy to deal with.  
>Sighing, and scratching the back of his head, Muki cricked his neck a couple of times, and examined the area.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

"Katy…!" I heard a familiar voice call my name, and it immediately occurred to me that I could not see this person's face. _… Most likely due to my eyes being closed._ I thought to myself; it seemed that I had involuntarily almost-dozed-off.  
>For the first time, I found my vision being temporarily blinded by the bright glare of the sun's light; every other time I had awoken, my eyes had instantly adjusted to the light level… But not this time.<p>

"Katy, are you… Alright?" Magokoro Muki, my Partner, looked down at me; his voice practically flooded my eardrums with 'concern'.

"… I am fine." I spoke quietly, my dry voice cracking by the tiniest amount.

"… Uh… Well…" Muki shifted around uncomfortably, attempting to think of something to comfort me with… "I guess we didn't get to talk to that ex-Player…"  
>I briefly thought about that boy. The same RG resident that had been our Mission's target had turned out to be an 'ex-Player'… Coincidence? <em>Did he mean that he had played the Reapers' Game before…? Had he… Won?<em> We would likely _not_ be getting any answers; sleep had claimed us before he could even see us.

Right at that moment…

_Beep, beep_

The Mission.

* * *

><p><strong>[Bout IV: Hush the Noise in A-East. You have 30 Minutes. Fail and be Erased.]<strong>

"Well, that's very…" Muki glanced at me, gauging my reaction to the Mission "… Straightforward. In fact," he suddenly looked up, a look of epiphany on his face, "they've all been pretty concise- _owww!_" He flinched as the Timer burned itself onto our palms.

I barely felt it.

"Wasn't… Ready for that," Muki shook his hand a little over-dramatically; perhaps trying to lighten the situation, "but in any case! A-East, we passed it yesterday…" He trailed off on the word 'yesterday'; clearly, Muki did not want to remind me of the prior Day's events. As if he needed to.

"… Let's go." I turned away, and walked towards A-East, with Muki in tow.

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

"… Uh-Oh…!" The Rook bolted upright as he sensed a strong Soul closing in on the King's position. "It's _their_ King!" The Rook alerted the Queen. "Producer inbound!"

"Tch…!" The Queen stabbed her katana into the rooftop, and turned to the… "Rook! Contain the Reapers!" She ordered, not a hint of unnecessary emotion in her voice.

"On it." He jumped into the air, and vanished instantly.

"Bishop, to the front!" The Queen turned to her left, only to find empty air; the Bishop had already disappeared; quick as always.

"Well, well…" The Knight laughed, and walked up to the Queen. "Did the Composer _really_ manage to make contact with the Producer?"

"It would seem so…" The Queen gritted her teeth.

"I thought that the King had placed a Proximity Lock Psych on Him…?"

"It's not as simple as that…" The Queen raised her arm; her katana trembled slightly, before rocketing out of the concrete roof, and flying into her outstretched hand. Exhaling, the Queen swiped at the air a few times, before looking at the Knight. "You know your move." The Queen pointed towards the area around A-East.

The Knight nodded, and looked towards his target, grinning savagely. "The Game Master."

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

Our feet pounded against the ground as Muki and I rapidly approached A-East; if we had been in the RG, we almost certainly would have failed; the crowds of people were particularly thick on this Day; it was only thanks to our intangibility that we had even run this far in this amount of Time.

"Timer's at 14 Minutes, Katy…!" Muki warned me, but I didn't respond; he knew that I had heard him. The Red Hood guarding the 104 Building Wall had been surprisingly ruthless; only after Erasing four of the same Noise Symbol, had we been permitted to pass. "Katy," Muki had continued to talk throughout the Day, attempting to raise my spirits with bits and pieces of 'UG Trivia', as he called it, "don't think too badly of the Support Reapers…"

"You mean… The Red Hoods?" I joined the conversation for the first time, Which elicited a smile from Muki… Despite my yet-unchanged emotionless voice.

"… Yes, them…" He chuckled; no doubt he found my nickname amusing. "… Support Reapers are the lowest in the Reaper hierarchy," he explained, "their job consists of guarding Walls, and issuing SubMissions-"

"'SubMissions'…" I repeated, having only heard the term now.

"'sright." He nodded as we closed in on the Wall to Dogenzaka. "Those tasks they give us? The Support Reapers earn Points for more Imaginative SubMissions, and more Erased Players." His words were steady, like a teacher calmly informing schoolchildren about the principle of slaughterhouses.

"They… Get 'Points' for murdering Players…?" I felt a small amount of anger rise within myself; it was the first emotion that I had experienced in what seemed like forever, and I was slightly taken aback by myself.

"Well… Those Points are what keeps them in Existence, Katy." Muki shrugged; he had a certain air about him, not the air of one who didn't care… Just the air of one who had accepted reality. "If they don't earn enough Points each Game, they're deemed 'useless', and are either Banished, or Erased on the spot."

I didn't know what to say to that; if his words were true, then it didn't seem right to judge the Red Hoods so easily. The lion eats the antelope to survive, after all.

"… Everybody's gotta eat, kiddo." He finished, giving me a small, sad 'heh'.

"… You're very strange, Magokoro Muki." I said, my voice now carrying a very small amount of life in it.

"Am I?"

"You are the most realistic person I know… Granted, you are the… _Only_ person, I really 'know'', but…" He laughed. "… How can you be so accepting about the cruelty of the world? So forthright and direct, and yet, so caring and trustworthy? Even your speech patterns betray you; one moment, you're formal and analytical… The next, you're casual and carefree… I mean… 'Kiddo'? Really?" I stared at this man… This enigma may have only confused me because he was my only source of companionship… But the fact remained: Magokoro Muki was a mystery. "It's…" I trailed off.

"… What?" Muki smiled, appearing very interested in what I had to say.

"… It's almost like you're not sure… Who you are." I completed my sentence.

"… You got me," he stopped running, and laughed very suddenly, throwing his head back in the air, and looked at me, "I'm a secret, undercover agent. Looks like I need to try harder." He laughed again, before resuming our sprint to A-East.  
>As juvenile as the joke was, I couldn't help but feel that there was more truth to his words than there seemed…<p>

At that moment, I felt like I knew Magokoro Muki both a little better… And a little less.

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

"Well, now…!" The Reaper clicked his fingers, Banishing the majority of his Noise back to the Noise Plane, only leaving one golden bat Noise on his shoulder. "You're both much tougher than you look, aren't you?"

The two small Players in front of him panted heavily, holding each other close.

"I've always had a soft spot for children…" The Game Master chuckled, drawing out a long blade. "… Perhaps I'll take you on, personally."

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

"So." My voice, still stubbornly clinging to its lifeless, monotone pitch, humoured Muki. "The Red Hoods, Support Reapers, are below Harrier Reapers, Black Hoods."

"That's right!" Muki snapped his fingers over-enthusiastically, in the same way a boy desperately tried to show his disinterested friend something of his.

"Above those Harriers… Are the Officer Reapers… One of which," My thoughts turned to the orange-haired Reaper, "is our Game Master."

"Indeed." Muki stole a glance behind us, as we ran up through the Dogenzaka District. "Good thing I told you all that; that 'Bolt from the Blue' guy didn't know what hit him!" Muki laughed, referring to the previous Wall; the Red Hood had insisted that we pass his 'Reaper Review'… In all honesty, I had no idea what was happening, or why.

...

And then I saw them.

A surge of adrenaline shot through me; the effect was amplified tenfold, due to my previous state of mind. "_Muki!_" I screamed for him to follow me, and I shot forward like a bullet.

_Cling!_

_Swish!_

_Clang!_

Just ahead, a man with something akin to a golden bat on his shoulder, and a blade in his hand, presumably a Reaper; to my horror, I could see him advancing on the two kid-Players from yesterday. The Reaper's sword cut into the ground distressingly deep; every time its blade soared towards one of the children, I felt a terrible pang of fear as its tip skimmed by their faces, barely failing to deliver what, otherwise, would surely be a fatal blow.

"Katy, wait!" Muki yelled, but it was too late; I was already sprinting at full speed, towards the three.

Upon noticing me, the Reaper smiled in an unsettlingly friendly fashion, before flourishing his blade, and delivering a series of blindingly fast feints towards the two youngsters, which caused them to stumble backwards, and fall onto the ground. It was clear that the Reaper had previously had no intention of striking the Partnered children; he had merely been playing with them… But now…

"_Stop!_" I shouted in desperation as the Reaper raised his sword to deliver the coup de grace... _Only one thing for it…_ Just as the blade began to fall, I managed to throw myself in front of it; I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that it wasn't as sharp as it looked…

_Shunk…!_

…

…

…

I slowly opened my eyes, and to my disbelief, I realized that the Reaper had not so much as scratched me.

Magokoro Muki had jumped in front of all of us.

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

_KzzzZZZzzzT…!_

… _Damn… That… Hurts…_ Magokoro Muki had attempted to slow the Game Master's sword with his bare hands, but such an effort was futile; the blade had still managed to bury itself deep within Muki's left shoulder, almost severing his arm clean off.

"Oh… Big Guy!" The farthest Player from Muki, the young boy, spoke. "… Reaper! You… You broke the rules!"

"_Nngh…!_" Muki gripped the blade tighter, as static continued to spill out of his body, forming a scarcely visible cloud around his left side.

"Muki!" Katy's voice was filled with horror.

"Mister!" The girl was similarly worried.

"Oh, bravo…!" The Game Master chuckled. "_Marvellous_ save, Mr. Magokoro Muki." He enunciated every syllable, enjoying the alliteration.

"…" Pain wracked Muki's entire body; he hadn't thought that it would hurt quite this much… But at this point, he had to ask. "… You from CHECKMATE?"

"'Check… Mate?'" Muki heard Katy's echo.

"You mean… He's some kinda rogue Reaper…?!" The Player boy attempted to make sense of the situation.

"If you attacked us… You're not really the Game Master!" The Player girl held her brother close.

The Game Master stared Muki down for a moment, before… "… Pfft… _Ahahahah!_" He laughed, his bright blue eye staring at them from behind a mop of hair. "… Sorry to disappoint, but you are incorrect… I _am_ the Game Master."

"… But… The Game Master- no, actually…" Muki paused. "_No_ Reapers can attack a Player directly on Day 4… But you struck me…!"

"Did I?" The Game Master playfully tilted his head to one side, and ripped his blade out of Muki, causing him to yelp, and grab his arm.

"Muki!" Katy cried, but before she could move, the Game Master wound back.

"_En garde, Monsieur Muki!_" The Game Master's sword rushed towards Muki's heart.

"_Don't move, Katy!_" Muki commanded her before she could so much as blink.  
>Everyone watched as the Game Master's blade pierced the fabric of Muki's hoodie; time seemed to slow to a crawl as the tip slid through the material as effortlessly as a knife would cut through hot butter… Surely it would just as easily run Muki through, bringing his Existence to an end…<p>

But then it stopped.

…

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

_Breathe._ I told myself. _He's… Fine… _I could scarcely believe it, but Muki was still standing; the Game Master's blade seemed to have stopped just short of Muki's chest._ Just… Breathe._  
>I had no absolutely no idea what was happening.<p>

Without hesitation, the Game Master's arm flicked backwards, before moving to strike Muki's neck.

"_Big Guy!_" The boy struggled to make it to Muki's side, but his sister's iron grip would not permit him.

_Swish!_

A feint; the blade bent downwards, towards Muki's leg.

No response.

_Swish!  
>Swash!<br>Clang!_

The Game Master followed up with two more feints, before aiming to split Muki's head in two; once again, as if pushed aside by some invisible, magnetic force, the blade's trajectory curved downwards, into the ground.

"…" Muki simply stared the Game Master down.

"… Ah, good show!" The Game Master stepped back and applauded. "You've figured me out, it seems."

"What…?" The girl whispered, still clutching her brother close.

"Well, your friend here is correct; as the Game Master, I cannot directly cause any harm to a Player."

"Then…" My hands clenched into fists, tension ran through the air, as Muki calmly supported his almost-dismembered arm.

"Young lady," the Reaper addressed me, "I never had any intention of harming those little Players over there," he stated matter-of-factly, indicating to the two children with his sword, "I was merely toying with them for a little bit; feinting, and letting them dodge… Believe me, when I say that my blade would never have even scratched them. "

"But… The Big Guy!" The boy shouted angrily. "You hurt _him!_"

"Well, that's a matter of opinion…" He shrugged.

"He's saying," Muki spoke, his voice trembling slightly from the pain in his wound, "that since I jumped in front of the blade, it constitutes as hurting myself… Right?" His last word was directed at the smug swordsman.

"Indeed. But once you stood still, I couldn't attack you without it being entirely my fault-"

"That's stupid!" The boy yelled "You still hurt him! You keep breaking your own rules! You didn't even let us clear the Mission-" the boy's shouts were muffled as the girl clamped a hand over his mouth, hoping not to anger the Reaper further.

"Well, if you read the fine print, you'll find that 'Reapers cannot _attack_ Players'… If I do _this…_" The Game Master thrust his sword towards Muki's face, almost skewering his eye. "… Well, I'm just playing with my beloved blade here… It's rather unfortunate if you think that I was attacking you…" He laughed.

_06:26…  
>06:25…<br>06:24…_

"… And 'not letting them clear the Mission…?'" Muki motioned to the boy with his head.

"He said that even though we Erased the target," the boy pulled his sister's hand off, "we didn't clear the Mission-"

"Hold it, kid." The Game Master raised his sword and jabbed at the boy. "All I said was that you, "didn't clear the Mission." I never said that you Erased the target-"

_KZZZT!_

Out of nowhere, a black silhouette flew by the Game Master, and obliterated the bat on his shoulder.  
>Right on cue, everyone's Timers vanished.<p>

"_Wh-_" Muki flinched in shock.

"Who…!?" I tracked the silhouette's path to my left…

Standing there was a woman of small visage, clad entirely in black. A torn and ragged cloak and scarf hid the majority of her features.  
>In a way very reminiscent of the Game Master, she slowly raised her head, allowing me to glimpse her delicate, pale face; a single golden iris stared out from behind her jet-black hair, as her tattered garments fluttered in the wind. "… That was the target, it seems."<p>

"… And you are?" The Game Master smirked, unpeturbed.

The woman drew out an arm wrapped in white bandages, and pulled the scarf over her mouth. "Magokoro Muki, I believe." She addressed my Partner. "… It appears as though the Knight is fooling around…" Muki appeared confused; perhaps there was someone else who was supposed to accompany her…?" So, in his place, I will take charge here. You want to know about CHECKMATE? I am Goumaki Mushin's Bishop… The Black Cat."

Already halfway through the Reapers' Game… But the worst was yet to come.

* * *

><p><em><strong>4th Day – Castle<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so!<strong>

**People who have read this far should really know by now, but: This story is part of the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** Community/event/thing.**

**Other people's works are there! Good people! Good works!  
>Check them ouuut XD<strong>

**Special mention to Aviantei who is just… **_**Blasting**_** out reviews left and right; we applaud you, Avian d._.b**

**And the Awkward Thumbs-Up.  
>Can't forget that.<strong>

**I will attempt to follow her example! I promise!**

**Bye :P**


	7. 5th Day

**Oh myyyy… Week 7, aaand my reviewing is going…**

…

**Ugh.**

_**RIIIGHT!**_

**SO!**

**Late again, but this **_**should**_** be the last time; I promises.  
>A friend was moving back to America; had to see her off and stuff d._.b<strong>

**Let's kick it and rip it!**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter VII<strong>

The pawn isn't 'unique'.  
>The pawn isn't 'useful'.<br>The pawn, unlike any other given Piece, is just a follower of the pack, a member of the herd, just cannon fodder, waiting to be gunned down…  
>… But as previously discussed: The pawn has the capacity for growth. Once a pawn has reached its journey's end, it undergoes a change… A transformation into its new life.<p>

In this sense, the pawn is stronger than even the queen… A full-fledged pawn can match strength of the queen, dwarfing the bishop and rook… But it can also take on the unpredictable properties of the knight, if need be…

* * *

><p><em><strong>5th Day<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

"_Take it."_

Rather startled by the familiar female voice, I immediately leapt to my left, away from the White Hood; in doing so, I involuntarily disobeyed her command, releasing the golden staff, rather than 'taking it'. Staring the White Hood down, I developed a sudden urge to hit her with a Psych and run… But that would have been a foolish, foolish move… And so, I opted to talk to her, instead. _Perhaps,_ I thought, _I may be able to glean some answers_. _"… Who…"_ But before I could even start, I had stopped myself, feeling as if I had already asked that question… Had I?

My memory felt distorted.

The White Hood sighed, and looked down at the water-ridden ground of the tunnel, causing a tuft of bright vermillion hair to hang down, revealing itself from within the confines of her cloak… At last, I had something, (albeit, a very miniscule 'something',) that I could associate with this mysterious White Hood's body… Up until this point in time, I had seriously considered the possibility that the White Hood was some form of spectre… Or, of course, a Grim Reaper. _"I didn't take it either, at first… So of course, you wouldn't, I suppose."_ The White Hood's voice sounded strangely resigned, as if, in not taking the staff, I had just caused her to lose some massive wager

_"… What do you mean by that…?"_ My feet shuffled slightly, causing a rough, scraping noise to echo throughout the area.

_"… Can't. It's painful, but…" _She seemed to be struggling; holding her forehead in her palm, she shook her head from side to side. _"… You'll understand… When you reach this point."_

Just as I was forming a new question in my mind, the White Hood's hand moved behind her back, and…

_Fwip…!_

Faster than I could even blink, the White Hood had produced a tall, decorated, deadly-looking scythe, and menacingly planted it next to her. If her aim was to intimidate me, it was certainly effective; a thousand alarm bells went off in my head, as the 'Grim Reaper' theory pulled into the lead. I felt as though I could be bisected instantly, if by chance, the White Hood so wished.

_"This time… You'll take it."_ Her words shook me; she spoke with no malice in her voice, no threat… But her voice carried such sureness, such unrivalled certainty that her words were nothing but truth… And it seemed to me that she was speaking of some hopeless inevitability, rather than a confident prediction… Like a young man looking you in the eyes, and pointing out that one day, you would most definitely… Die.

I had no particular inclination to antagonize the White Hood earlier, though with the appearance of the scythe, I now had the inclination to stay on _very_ good terms with her; I couldn't remember the last time I was so terrified, (even if I had my Entry Fee, I still doubt that I would've remembered anything remotely comparable,) something about that scythe… In touching the Excalibur-staff, I had experienced a strange feeling of 'hope'… But simply _looking_ at that scythe… My vision shimmered, fading like a mirage; I could hear and feel an unpleasant grinding from within my head; the air tasted like ash; my sense of balance had just abandoned ship…

… I… Felt an overwhelming despair from that scythe.

* * *

><p>"… <em>-shai…!<em>"_  
><em>

"-_i-san-… -kku Rame-… -Yotsu-… -shima-…_"

"_-aaaa-… -ire desu ne…_"

"_Ii n-… ga sur-…_"

A familiar salty scent roused me; I felt the 'real world' materializing, as I left the other one behind to fade back into oblivion.  
><em>Hearing… Functional<em>. I could hear chattering nearby; a vaguely familiar voice, accompanied by two childrens', and… _Muki…_ I tried to call his name, but all that came out was a rasping breath… I would come back to that later.  
><em>Olfactory… Operational.<em> Slowly breathing in, I immediately thought that I must have been in that old noodle restaurant; I could practically _taste_ the ramen… (I briefly wondered how many other people would have used the word 'olfactory' in this context.)  
><em>Eyes... Working.<em> I blinked twice, mentally ticking a third, small checkbox scribbled on a little notepad in my mind. was lying on my back, staring at the ceiling, which was riddled with decorations, ranging from old Chinese lanterns to children's drawings to calligraphy samples to… What appeared to be a collection of sketches and notes for some kind of toy. "… 'The Ultima Slammer'…?" My voice, which was now in working order, read a caption before I could tell it do otherwise. "What is the world is that for…"

"_TIN PIN SLAMMER!_" Muki, who had somehow managed to sneak over to my side without me noticing, popped his head up, and yelled dramatically.

"… Some kind of game?" I answered without looking; far too tired to be, or even act, surprised.

"Well… Yeah. Tin Pin Slammer; you can find an app on our phones, if you look hard enough…" He settled down, and scratched the back of his head, looking rather disappointed at my lack of reaction. "… We're still waiting on the Mission, by the way."

"… _We're_ all here, I suppose…?" Turning my head on its side, I could see that the children from yesterday were also present in Ramen Don with us.

"_Ah!_" The boy opened his mouth upon seeing me, and jabbed his sister. "_Oneechan!_" (I cursed fate for forcing me through this again… It appeared as though this shop had some sort of charm on it.) "_Murasaki-san ga okitanda!_" He shouted excitedly, continuing to poke his sister, until she looked over.

"_… Sono toori desu ne…_" She smiled warmly, and hopped off of her stool, before trotting over to me. "… How are you feeling, miss?"

"… 'Miss'…?" (I did my best to ignore the perceptible switch between understanding and not understanding her words.) "You don't have to address me in that manner…" My eyes rolled around in my skull for a moment, the blood, (if I even _had_ blood… Everyone in the UG seemed to bleed static,) rushed through my head, pulling me from the clutches of sleep.

"_Da-ka-ra._" The boy punctuated each syllable with an exaggerated hand and/or head movement "_'Oneesan' janakku te, 'Mu-ra-sa-ki-san' deshou…!_" He stomped, and gave me a fond smile. "How're you feelin', Ms. Vio?"

"Excellent," Muki interjected, applauding the boy, "'Ms. Vio'; that is- I-… We're calling you that, now." He finished dramatically; it seemed as though he was trying a little too hard to lighten the mood…

At the time, I had instantly thought that the events of the day prior had taken a heavier toll on him than immediately apparent…

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

The Bishop stared at the group of people assembled before her. _'Magokoro… Muki', hm?_ She considered the injured Player. "… Clever, aren't you?" She addressed Muki, a slight smirk on her face; a rare show of emotion.

"Am I…?" Muki tensed, continuing to hold his arm; he was all but certain that if he released it, the proverbial thread that it hung by would snap, and gravity would claim the limb from him altogether.

"'Check… Mate'?" Katy looked from the Bishop to Muki. "What's… And you're the 'Bishop'…? What is 'Checkmate'?"

"'CHECKMATE', dear Player," the Game Master flipped a hand through his hair, sounding a little like a bored lecturer, "is a group of rag-tag, chaos-causing, troublemaking, havoc-wreaking," the Game Master accompanied each word with a swing through the air, "scruffy-looking, rule-breaking, Banished, excommunicated, dirty, no-good renegade…" The Game Master twirled his one-handed sword around, before pointing it at the Bishop. "… Ex-Reapers." He leered at the Bishop. "… As I understand it, CHECKMATE's goal is to disturb the current Reaper hierarchy, and place their leader in charge of the UnderGround… A rather foolish plan, I would say." He added, a touch of spite in his words.

"Oh, of course…" The Bishop looked the Game Master over, calm and aloof. "… And you would know all about 'foolish plans', wouldn't you, 'Jack the Ripper'?"

"No more than you would, 'Black Cat'." 'Jack' responded evenly; the two of them looked ready to attack at any moment… But while Jack's attention was focused on the Bishop…

_Fwoosh!_

A sudden burst of air startled everyone, as the Player boy let out a war cry. "_Haaah!_" One hand clenched into a fist, and the other raised a Pin with a hand design, up high. The wind blowing through Dogenzaka suddenly became very strong, whipping up a mini-storm around the street; papers rolled around the district, like tumbleweeds in a hot, western gust; the people of the RealGround cried out in surprise hats, scarves, umbrellas and various other loose paraphernalia were blown away as the young Player readied his attack.

_How is he using a Psych outside of a Noise encounter…?!_ Katy, taken aback by the vast climatic changes, had that one thought flit through her head. Before she could ask the question out loud, she remembered something that Muki had told her back during Day 2.

"Pyrokinesis!…_ Ugh…" Katy let her arm drop to her side. "Muki, I can't use my Psychs anymore… Do they have limited uses, perhaps?"  
><em>

_"Hmm… Yes and no," her Partner replied thoughtfully, "but the reason you can't use _Pyrokinesis_ right _now,_ is because Psychs can only be used during a Noise Erasure…Well…" He stopped momentarily, before flipping his Player Pin like a coin. "… With certain exceptions."_

A current of air wrapped around the boy's arm; even the Bishop seemed mildly surprised, which, for such a stoic character, was the equivalent of anyone else yelling 'What!?'

_From what Muki said, that boy must be using one of the weak, use-anytime Psychs,_ Katy thought quickly, raising her arms to shield her face from any airborne debris, _if that _is_ the case, then… Why is it so…_ Katy stepped back, wondering which Psych it was, that was 'excepted' from the standard 'only-in-battle' Psych regulations… She got her answer.

"_PSYYYCHOKINESIS!_" The boy roared with the force of a hurricane, as he swung his arm downward, crushing the Game Master into the ground.

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

_Unbelievable…_ I stepped backwards, cautious of being caught up in whatever all-powerful Psych that the Player boy had to have been using… The very Earth seemed to shake; the sky seemed to darken as a miniature whirlwind formed around the boy. That's when it occurred to me: How was the boy using a Psych? When fighting the Noise, Players are drawn into the Noise Plane, where there is an ample supply of raw Imagination at one's disposal… But here, in the UnderGround, the number of usable Psychs are significantly lower, even in a city such as Shibuya. _… If he's using a Psych… The only attack Psych I can think of is…!_

"_PSYYYCHOKINESIS!_" The boy's cry tore through the sky; my eardrums vibrated in my head, as he swung his arm downwards, aiming straight at the Game Master…

_BOOM!_

The Reaper had only a split second to utter a tiny, "oh-" before being instantly crushed into the pavement by some invisible force; it was over in the amount of time that it would take to snap your fingers… As if an invisible steamroller had abruptly been dropped on top of him.

The very definition of a 'one-sided fight'.

* * *

><p>"That was… Quite the surprise." I admitted to him as I sat upright. "That attack was rather impressive." Indeed, I felt myself being somewhat cautious of this boy; he could, perhaps, singlehandedly Erase anyone else, if he so chose.<p>

"Yep… You're pretty strong, little dude." Muki laughed, patting him on top of the head, like a father praising a child… Or, better yet, an elder brother praising his younger brother.

"That's right! My noodle soups' flavour _is_ pretty strong!" Ken Doi called from behind the counter; seemingly, he had misheard our conversation. "Good to see that young people can still enjoy old-fashioned noodles! _Gahahahah!_"

"That was nothin'!" He grinned, placing his hands on his hips. "Hiro Tetsuyou won't fall so easily to the likes of evil! _Gahahahah!_" As Hiro laughed out loud, I found myself looking at him in a new light: An unruly mass of short, red hair, (likely dyed,) covered his head, (spiking out like a manga character's would,) and a pair of white running shoes ensured that he would be able to move at top speed; a short-sleeved black t-shirt decorated with dynamic, dark green stripes, and a pair of navy-blue shorts showed off his skinny legs; one could not look at this boy, into his strong, rust-coloured eyes, and forget that he was, in fact… Just that.

A boy. Probably no more than 9 years old… As I stared at Hiro Tetsuyou, the horror of his situation began to worm its way back into my mind.

"What do you have to say to that, Koushi?" Muki chuckled.

"You _really_ must be more careful, Hiro…" His Koushi, pulled him into a hug, and gave him a small shake. "He almost… _You_ almost…" She bit her lip, before squeezing him even tighter.

_'Koushi Tetsuyou'… Huh?_ My eyes moved to the little girl holding her brother… Certainly older than Hiro, but she didn't even look 12… An innocent child, wearing a white, frilled dress shirt and matching short skirt ad strap-sandals; her glasses were large and round; silver-rimmed, complementing her metallic-grey eyes… Koushi's bob-cut hair was a warm shade of brunette, a rare instance of colour on her person, opposing her clean, bright-white attire. _And now,_ I thought to myself, _I can see that… Perhaps Hiro dyed his hair in an attempt to match his sister's… Very sweet._ The only other accessory that Koushi Tetsuyou possessed was a single, ornate bangle… Thicker than the two that I owned… But undoubtedly crafted with equal skill and passion…

…That bangle would one day belong to me…  
>…<p>

"I'm fine, sis…!" Hiro insisted, his face changing shade, due to the circulation, (if we even _had_ circulation,) to his face being cut off. "It doesn't even hurt!" If his arms- no… If any part of his body was not being constricted at the time, I imagine that he would have tapped his stomach… Or something to that effect.

Further memories of yesterday's altercation began to surface…

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

_Impossible._ The Bishop recoiled by about a millimetre; the Game Master had just been decimated in one shot by a single Player; a child, at that. _That child could not have unleashed such a Psych… _Psychokinesis_ could not do so much damage just like…_

"_One more!_" Hiro whipped his arm to the right, then to the left. "_PSYCHOKINESIS!_" Hiro's Psych was barely observable; Jack was flung, faster than the eye could see, into the wall behind Hiro.

_CRASH!_

The wall was instantly shattered as Jack's limp form was sent careening through it, and into the convenience store that it had previously housed; the few remaining RG people who had elected to remain outside screamed as the wall, to them, seemed to smash itself open. Luckily, the store in question didn't seem very popular; the only other person inside appeared to be the now-no-doubt-very-disgruntled owner.

"Ah." Hiro let out a single syllable. "… Guess I overdid it-" he started to laugh, as everyone stared at him… But at that precise moment…

_Shunk…!_

There was a flash of silver, and a spurt of static.

Hiro gasped as a sword flew out from the rubble, and headed straight for Koushi; without thinking, Hiro jumped in front, and was impaled through the abdomen; static issued from his wound as his sister was struck speechless, petrified at the scene before her.

"Watch it… Kid…" Jack emerged from beneath a pile of bricks, a cloud of dust swirling around him, his temple bleeding static.

"_Hiro!_" Koushi shrieked, and moved to pull Jack's blade out, however, before she could so much as touch it…

"_Hah!_" Hiro's hand effortlessly yanked the blade out of his own body, with about as much care as you would use when pulling a fork out of a chunk of meat. "… You wanna take me?" He taunted the Game Master, "… Or are you too scared to fight me, instead of attacking sis?" He finished, throwing the blade right back at its owner.

Jack didn't bother to dodge; despite the incredible velocity of his sword, Jack's arm merely swung horizontally, catching it out of the air. The Game Master twirled his blade a few times. "… _Tch!_" For the first time, he appeared irritated. "… Make no mistake, if that 'no attacking Players' rule didn't exist, you'd be dead right now."

"So you're scared, huh?" Hiro shot back in a fittingly childish manner.

"… No matter," Jack exhaled, regaining his composure, "I think, seeing as the Mission's finished, this Day should end right…" As he raised his hand, (it seemed as though he was about to snap his fingers,) the Bishop suddenly moved.

_Swish!_

"_Ugh…!_" The Game Master managed to move his head to the side, avoiding the Bishop's attack from decapitating him; she appeared to have a set of claws over her right hand… Not unlike a Noise's. "You're faster than I remember…!" Jack chuckled, jumping back. The Bishop merely stared at him, and continued her assault.

"Stop her!" Muki yelled, surprising everybody.

"What, you open your mouth for the first time in…" Hiro looked at Muki, confused. "… And _that's_ what you say?"

"But… That's the enemy…!" The girl pointed at the Game Master, trying to reason with Muki.

"I know!" Muki spoke quickly. "But if that woman manages to take out the Game Master, CHECKMATE will…" He stopped, noting that no-one but him knew about CHECKMATE. "… Look, just… Please, trust me!" He insisted, taking out a Cure Drink Psych, and healing himself. "… I'm going, who's coming?"

The girl simply held Hiro, as if to say 'I'm not putting him in danger'.

Hiro looked torn.

And Katy…

…

…

…

"Katy…" Muki looked to his Partner. "Please…" He had never looked at her like this… A look of absolute desperation…

…

…

…

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

I stared again at the Mission Mail in my hand.

**[Bout V: Survive until the Day ends.]**

Shortly after receiving it, there had been an extra message sent only, (I assume,) to us.

**[P.S. With this brief respite, you'll forgive me if I call it even between us.]**

Somehow, when I saw that, I had smiled… A very small smile, but the first real smile I had known in a while… To be honest, part of the reason that I was smiling was the fact that I had wondered if the extra message had been sent to everyone; the thought of a random Player receiving that 'P.S.' was surprisingly amusing… But there were more important matters at hand.

"… I think we should know, Muki," I sat at the counter with my three companions, and looked him straight in the eyes. "What exactly do you know about CHECKMATE? How _long_ have you known about them? And… Why?" I stayed perfectly still, refusing to touch the bowl in front of me, at least, until I had the answers that I was looking for.

"Mzz Beeyo's waiyt, Bekk Gggai." Hiro agreed with a mouthful of noodles, nodding his head.

"We _did_ end up fighting off that lady…" The girl noted before joining Hiro.

"… Alright, you three." Muki sighed. "I'll tell you… And, actually… I need your help." He gave the three of us a very serious look. "… I can't do this alone."

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

"… Fine." Katy clenched her hands, and gritted her teeth. "I'll trust you… I may not know exactly what is happening, or _why_ we're about to do this," she pulled three Pins out of her pouch, as the siblings began to protest, "but… I am in your debt; you've saved me more times than I can count, Muki… I can't let you go alone."

With those words, it seemed that Hiro's mind was made up. "… She's right, sis… He's our friend, we can't just leave him!" Gently pulling himself away from his sister, the boy stood up straight. "… I couldn't call myself your 'Hero' if I ran away crying… Right?"

"… If you insist." The girl stood up with the rest of the Players. "… But stay behind me, Hiro… If it gets too dangerous-"

"It won't…!" Katy spoke with a conviction that surprised even herself. "We are not losing this Game…" Her hands trembled with determination. "I won't lose… I _refuse_ to lose…!" At that moment, Katy appeared as a towering, regal figure; majestic and commanding… The kind of person who could rally their forces against the enemy, and lead them to victory. "We are going to win this Game… We are all going to survive, and make it back home, safely… I promise you that." Her voice energized her compatriots, made them feel as though they really could not lose… And so… "_Let's go!_" With that shout, the four Players charged forward.

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

_Swish!_

_Swash!_

The Game Master, 'Jack', and the Black Cat, 'The Bishop', continued to fight as we closed in; blows were traded at speeds my eyes could barely keep up with, and yet none of them ever found their mark.

The Game Master skilfully avoided the dancing, whirling claw of the Black Cat; each time it looked as though the Black Cat would actually land a strike, the Game Master would casually step aside, or twist his body, or move his head… Just… Some slight movement that, while rather simple, was also extremely efficient.

The Black Cat manoeuvred around far more than the Game Master, adding in feints, spins, flips, and somersaults… For each move the Game Master made, the Black Cat made four; her already complex movements were made harder to follow by her garments; her tattered black cloak and loose, white bandage ends swirled and fluttered around her, obscuring her form… Often, she would have moved behind the Game Master before I had even realized it.

Stab… Twist, flip, spin, push, claw… Dodge, slash… duck, charge, step, encircle, strike… Step, slice…

_If we don't intervene, they'll eventually start to damage each other…_

"Okay, plan!" Muki began to fire off instructions. "Engaging a hostile Reaper, even an excommunicated one," he pointed at the Black Cat as we continued to run, "will draw us into the Noise Plane."

"Where we fight Noise, yeah?" Hiro confirmed, as Muki continued to explain.

"This Pin here," Muki pulled out a pure black Pin, "this can temporarily Tune the two Noise Zones into one, hold on to this," he handed me the Pin, "we'll hit 'er with a Fusion, and end it in one swoop!"

"Understood!" The girl gripped Hiro's hand, and pulled out a pure white Pin.

"Wait!" I almost stumble…What was a 'Fusion'?

"Katy," Muki grabbed my hand… And of course, my cheeks flushed yet again… It seemed that I wouldn't acclimatize myself to that any time soon. "A Fusion's a Psych that both Partners use at once," he continued, oblivious to my discomfort, "just channel your Soul into this Pin," Muki held up his own white Pin, "it's just like a normal Psych, your one should be in your pouch… Ready?" In a situation with more time at hand, I might have said 'no'… But luckily, in the spur of the moment, I…

"… Alright, Come on!" I sped up, and the four of us crashed into the Black Cat; the last thing that I saw was the surprised face of the Game Master, before the world disappeared into a vortex of light.

* * *

><p>"<em>On one…!<em>" Muki's foot slammed into the ground, propelling him straight towards the Black Cat, who had just begun to recover from the unexpected interruption. "_… One! GO!_" Muki grabbed onto the Black Cat's arm, and swung her around with a surprising strength, and threw her into the air, where Hiro had jumped up.

The Tetsuyou siblings suddenly began to glow with a fierce green incandescence, a chain of photons connecting the two; as the light grew more and more intense, Koushi Tetsuyou and Hiro Tetsuyou each shouted a battle cry, and commenced their assault.

"_Light the way!_"  
>"<em>I'll blow you away!<em>"

With a swipe of her hand, Koushi caused numerous chains of light to burst from the ground; the chains writhed through the air like a pit of snakes, and ensnared the Black Cat before she had a chance to move.

Hiro darted around the area, so fast that he was blinking in and out of my vision, leaving glowing spheres of energy along a multitude of each chain's links. With that, he leapt high into the air, and raised his hand; his sister did the same.

""_Burst!_"" They shouted in sync, causing the spheres wrapped around the Black Cat to detonate in sequence, instantly consuming her in a massive explosion.

"That's our cue!" Muki shouted from the far end of the street; during the Tetsuyous' attack, Muki had taken advantage of the Black Cat's immobility, and stabbed five stone lances around the area, forming a pentagon around her.

I almost relented… I would have preferred to end this without any casualties, but at that moment, as the smoke cleared, I saw the Black Cat kneeling on the ground; she didn't seem nearly as damaged as I had expected.

_Shiiing…!_

That feeling of completeness had enshrouded me once more; the Light Puck connected me and Magokoro Muki, sharing our energy, and bouncing back and forth… I gripped the black Pin in my left hand, and ripped the white Pin out of my pouch with my right. _Just like he said…_  
>This was it.<p>

"_Check and Mate!_"  
>"<em>There's no escape!<em>"

Muki's lances began to crackle with electricity, before linking themselves to each other with bright, cyan lasers; finally, a single ray began to whirl around the lance formation, faster and faster until it looked like a single, unmoving circle.

The Black Cat was trapped in Muki's pentagram array.

With a flick of his wrist, Muki engulfed the Black Cat in a column of light, burning so bright that she appeared to disintegrate into nothingness… But I knew that wasn't the case.

As the light became too bright , I closed my eyes, and flew forward, plunging into the radiant tower before ; it didn't hurt… Rather, it felt warm… Welcoming.

I opened my eyes. Everything was white. "_You're over…!_" As I rapidly shortened the distance between me and my target, I found myself instinctually channelling all of my Will into the Black Pin… We were going to live.

_Flash!_

For the first time, the Black Cat's composure was broken; her golden eyes widened in shock, as my own violet eyes glowed with a fierce drive. The black Pin began to change shape and colour… It elongated, turning golden, and developing carvings, and an intricate filigree running along its length; a spire-like contour formed on the bottom end, whilst a large ring with an 'X' of flat metal inside formed on the other end; the Large ring was decorated with a series of smaller rings, similar to a Japanese shakujou… Three rings in the top space of the X, three on the left, three on the right, and four on the bottom, divided into two pairs by the shaft of my new weapon…

It was _that_ staff.

…

When I came to, I was lying on the ground, and the Black Cat had long since fled.  
>Apparently, I had very nearly incapacitated her, though I had passed out after my attack…<p>

…Whatever it was.

* * *

><p>It was… Not quite as paradigm-shattering as I had expected… But it was certainly far more serious that I had hoped.<p>

"When I was in the RG… I could see the Game." Muki had said.

"'See the Game'?" The girl asked.

"Yeah… The UG, I could see Players, Reapers… All of it." Muki had a forlorn look on his face. "Death and destruction everywhere… Every day of my life, I saw things that no-one should _ever_ see in their lifetime…"

"That… Must've been scary." Hiro looked at Muki, a concerned look on his face.

"… Why _could_ you see the UG…?" I asked him; it didn't seem like a thing that could just… Happen.

"Who knows." Muki shrugged. "I hear that 'Soul' is composed of Will and Imagination… The higher your Soul is, the more sensitive you are to… 'Otherworldly things', let's say."

"So, like…" Hiro's face scrunched up in thought. "Psychics and fortune-tellers and stuff… They have a high 'Soul'?"

"Something like that," Muki smiled, although he neglected to mention that the majority of those practitioners were… Likely frauds. "That's probably why _you're_ so strong, Hiro."

"Me? Why…?" Amusingly, Hiro attempted to act as though he was merely curious, but only intellectually, when it was completely obvious that he was in fact ecstatic at being called 'strong'; his face twitched multiple times as he attempted to stop himself from smiling.

"Younger people have higher Imagination," Muki explained, "think about it, children have an unrestricted view on the world; they spend their days pretending to be firemen, or policemen, or superheroes-"

"I don't 'pretend', I _am_ a superhero!" Hiro thumped his chest with a fist. "Right, sis?" He looked to his right, an open-mouthed look of happiness on his face.

"Yes, of course." Koushi beamed back. "You're my hero, Hiro." She giggled.

"On the subject," Muki continued, "as people grow older, their Imagination generally lessens in… 'Force', shall we say. But, their ability to _refine_ their Imagination strengthens."

"… And that's…" Hiro leaned forwards, no doubt waiting for Muki to elaborate. In particular on the word 'refine'.

"Ah… Think of it like… You have raw power… But I have, say… Technique." Muki gestured with his hands, driving the point home. "But back on the subject of CHECKMATE…" Muki shifted in his seat. "… I first heard the name in Udagawa. A man dressed in a black hood; he had kinda scraggly black hair… He was talking to this Persian guy…" Muki seemed uncomfortable; though it brought me no pleasure to see him so distressed… I wanted to hear what he had to say. "Up until this point in my life, I had… Miraculously managed to avoid attracting attention from the UG, but I suppose that… While I was listening to them…" Muki paused; his face turning ill-disposed "I… Guess I looked a little too obvious." He finished , suddenly sounding resigned.

_Did… They discover him…? _The thought crossed my mind, before I realized that it was… unlikely. _No… If they discovered them, then they could have easily killed him… And he's still with all of us._ Of course, I was then unaware about the nature of the Reapers' Game… I didn't realized how wrong I was until later… But more on that, later.

"Anyway," he continued, "all I know is that CHECKMATE is comprised of five members- 'scuse me for a moment," Muki turned away from me, and called out,

"_Doi-san, kami to enpitsu ga arudaro, kashitekureyo!_"

"_Nn, hai, hai!_" Ken Doi's voice called back. "_Chotto mattekure, Magokoro-kun!_" A moment later, he walked over, and handed Muki a paper and pencil.

"_Ah, arigatou na._" The two exchanged a quick smile, before Ken Doi returned to his storeroom.

"And… What is _that_ for?" I watched Muki intently, as he began writing down a number of words; a list of chess pieces."

"CHECKMATE's members… are each assigned to positions following the chess piece ranking system…" He muttered, as his pencil scritch-scratched along the paper, drawing each piece next to a symbol. "I'm not entirely sure how they've done it… But each member of CHECKMATE has adopted the attributes of their respective chess piece; take…," Twirling his pen, Muki tapped the illustration of a Rook Piece accompanied with a sword and shield. "The Rook, Isshin Genkata; he's one of the guy's that I saw talking in Udagawa," he added before continuing, "Inclusive Attack and Absolute Defence; a straightforward soldier," he explained, "Then there's…" He drew a cross over the picture of a Knight Piece next to a feathered wing. "The Knight… As far as I know, the Knight's attribute is Heightened Speed, Agility, and Reflexes; an unpredictable blitz fighter… I'm not sure who that is, though…" He scratched his head. "Anyway, the next one, you've all met, of course…" He indicated the Bishop Piece with a lightning bolt. "The Bishop, name unknown," he glanced over at all of us as he noted that last point, "her attribute is Reinforced Will and Boosted Imagination; perfect for strengthening support-type Psychs, for example… Cure Drink," Muki shrugged, pulling out his own Cure Drink Pin for us to see, "The Queen… She's dangerous," he looked at each of us, emphasizing the point, "naturally, the Queen's attribute is Attribute Assimilation," he drew out a long breath, circling the Queen Piece with his pen, before adding several lines to his diagram; the sword and shield, the wing, and the lightning bolt now all had arrows leading from them to the Queen Piece, "while not quite at the same level as the original attributes, the Queen can switch between utilizing the properties of the Bishop and the Rook… Which brings us to the King." Muki stared at the King Piece on his paper, and drew a question mark next to it. "… His name is Goumaki Mushin… And as for his attribute… I can't imagine what it is, really…" He chuckled, and began writing down a few more words, finishing his list. "It's likely… Very strong… But anyway, here; take a look." Muki held up his completed list; I, along with Hiro and Koushi, began to study it.

_CHECKMATE:  
>The King – Goumaki Mushin (<em>_無心__傲真気__)]  
>The Queen – [Identity Unknown]<br>The Bishop – The Black Cat (__黒猫__)__  
>The Knight – [Identity Unknown]<br>The Rook – Isshin Genkata (__言騙__一新__)  
>The Pawn – [Unknown]<em>

"Wait…" I cleared my throat, having not spoken for a while. "Who's… The 'Pawn'?"

"Yeah, Big Guy," Hiro cut in, "I thought you said 'five members'."

"I suppose…" Koushi ran a hand through her short hair. "The 'Pawn', like its name suggests, isn't a '_real_' member; the Pawn is being _used_ by CHECKMATE for some reason…?"

"Very good; A+ for you." Muki gave her a solemn smile. "The Pawn is someone that CHECKMATE is manipulating, tricking, someone that, however unknowingly, is being played into somehow aiding CHECKMATE… It must be a Player; the only reason that you would do this is to break the Game from the _inside…_" Muki rubbed his temples, now looking to be thinking very hard. "It would be someone that CHECKMATE's been in contact with… At least from after the Game began… Someone strong; strong enough to… Accidently 'break something important', as it were… If we can figure out _who_ the Pawn is, then the Game becomes that much easier."

"And… That's what you wanted us to help you with?" I asked, attempting to take in all of the information that Muki had just dumped onto us.

"Actually, no… Muki suddenly looked very serious. "… CHECKMATE's aiming to take down the 'Composer'; essentially the… Ruler of Shibuya," he supplied, "The Composer resides past the _Shibuya River._"

"There's a river in Shibuya?!" All of a sudden, Hiro looked very excited; one might think that he had just been told that he was taking an excursion to the zoo.

"Are you… Sure, Mr. Muki?" The girl seemed uncertain.  
>"Well, it's not well-known… But it exists." Muki looked at each of us in a determined manner.<p>

I had sat perfectly still for quite a while, now; listening to everything that he had to say, accepting believing everything as true, accepting the reality of the situation, and acting accordingly in a calm, collected manner… But the next thing that he said managed to throw me off-balance.

"I have no doubt that CHECKMATE can break through the defences leading up to the Composer… But if _we_ can get there first, we can cut them off." He proposed, confident as ever.

"… You want us to break into the Composer's territory… Before CHECKMATE can?" Koushi confirmed.

"What's the plan after that, Big Guy?" Hiro lightly banged his hands on the table in anticipation.

"… I'm stronger than I look… And I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." Muki smiled. "I'm sure this will go exactly according to _keikaku-_ oh, and Katy," Muki turned to me with a condescending(? (To this Day, I am not entirely certain of what that smile meant,)) Smile. "'_Keikaku_' means 'Plan'."

… Yes, thank you for that." I gave him a withering look, and sighed. _Perhaps I should finally eat… I _am_ running low on energy… Soup-soaked noodles are better than no noodles._ "Thank you very much, Mr. Ken Doi," I bowed, though he could neither see nor hear me, and began to eat, (have I mentioned that Ken Doi didn't ever charge Muki, and by extension, me, _and_ the Tetsuyou siblings for anything that he served us? Because it seemed that he was doing that…)

As I started on my 'Mystic Ramen', Koushi called Muki away from me and Hiro, and began talking… It was then that the possibility occurred to me…

_What if…_ I thought. _What if… _Muki_ is CHECKMATE's Pawn…?_ I slowly stopped eating, and looked over to Muki, who laughed, still conversing about something with Koushi. _'It must be a Player'… 'It would be someone that CHECKMATE's been in contact with'… 'Someone strong'… _Muki seemed to pass on all criteria… And so my worries deepened. _If Muki's plan to break into the Composer's territory was predicted by CHECKMATE… I have to warn him._ My hand moved to push my body up… But I stopped. _… No… What if I'm wrong? What if CHECKMATE wants someone to stop Muki…? Maybe this plan _needs_ to happen…_

What was I supposed to do?

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

Magokoro Muki was taken aback; he knew that the elder Tetsuyou was sharp, especially for a 11 year old… And yet, this was beyond his expectations. "I'm sorry… Could you repeat the question?" Muki chuckled, half-amused, half-impressed.  
>"Why did you lie to her?" She asked him, unassuming. "She's your Partner; shouldn't she know that you… Didn't meet CHECKMATE like that?" The child stared into Muki's eyes, unwavering. "… It didn't really sound like that 'I see dead people' thing was true either…"<p>

"You're really something, telling that I'm lying from my _face_." Muki laughed, but quickly grew quiet. "… She can't know. It's for her own good." He looked at Katy sadly, then back at his conversational partner. "Sometimes… You need to keep secrets to protect people… Understand?"

"I… I guess." The girl looked at the ground. "I… Suppose that's correct, r. Muki… I'm sorry."

"No, please. Don't be." Muki waved his hand, and smiled.

"… But in that case… What's this thing that you can't tell her…?" Koushi pressed, her curiousity getting the better of her. "I promise I won't tell her," she quickly mentioned, "but… I just want to know… If that's okay."

Muki stared at the girl before him for a moment or so, and then laughed a sad, quiet sort of laugh to himself. "… I'm an Angel."

"Wha-a-at…!?" The girl, brought a hand to her mouth, her quiet voice shaking in surprise. "Why-… What do you mean you're an… _Angel?_"

"… Nothing." Muki said finally, smiling again. "… I was just joking."

* * *

><p><em><strong>5th Day – Promotion<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, my! Plot!<br>Actual plot! :D**

**So, I'm about to do the 'obligatory **_**SOSS**_** ad', so if you don't want to read it, I understand XD**

**This story is part of a program called **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_**, (if you've read this many chapters and only found out about it now… Where were you **_**looking…?**_**)**

**Essentially, I, along with my prestigious colleagues have been periodically writing chapters on our respective stories for the past 7 Weeks, (wow… 7 Weeks :O) in the attempt to be… Awesome.**

**I believe we are succeeding.**

*****_**UBER FISTPUMP**_*****

**Check out the **_**Shibuya Operation – Story Storm**_** Community for more goodness!**

**You know you want to.  
>-X<strong>

**P.S. I was totally going to have Hiro point out that the Pawn was, "Kind of like Xion in Organization XIII!" XD**

… **I don't know… I might have a Kingdom Hearts crossover done at some point, so… I didn't want to break the fourth wall in regards to it :P**


	8. 6th Day

**Ahah! On time!  
>Yeeesss.<strong>

**Well, actually it may not be… "In America."**  
><strong>Not quite sure.<strong>

**So… At the basically-two-third-mark of _Shibuya Operation – Story Storm_… Things are proceeding rather smoothly :3**

**Shout out to Aviantei for her excellent reviewing, even if she… Isn't quite worthy to be Akise Aru fanboy.**

***Hides***

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter VIII<strong>

As every Player should know, a Game is not 'over', until it has truly reached its end; when the chance of winning and/or losing has, without a doubt, hit 0%.  
>When there is still a possibility to win the Game, no matter how small, the Game is <em>not<em>, by any means, over.  
>Foolish, arrogant Players who lower their guard just because they think that there's no conceivable way that their opponent could recover from their position… Those Players damn themselves by prematurely proclaiming victory.<p>

It only takes a moment for the tables to turn, and that's why, no matter what your odds are; 10%, 5%, 1%, you can _never_ stop fighting, never stop clawing their way through the blood and bones of those who've failed before you… Never give up.  
>If you have <em>any<em> chance, then you must, despite how foolish it may seem, keep walking forward; a 'lower than 1%' chance of winning is _not. Zero._

The balance has yet to shift.

* * *

><p><em><strong>6th Day<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

_I remember a little more, now…_ It struck me as I lifted my heavy eyelids, waking from reality, into the dream.

_"You finally know."_ The White Hood sighed, her voice echoing through the tunnel.

_"Do I…?"_ My eyes ran across her form; I did, indeed, 'know'… But I wanted to hear _her_ say it. _"And what, exactly… Do I 'know'…?"_

_"Well now… Why don't you tell me?"_ She replied steadily, sounding as though she didn't want me to… Like a woman with an illness, she did not want the doctor to tell her what she already knew… As if not hearing it would make it any better.

_"You're… The one who talks to me whenever I dream."_ I took a moment to put my answer into words… Though it still sounded slightly strange when I did.

_"I'd say that's…"_ She stopped for a moment, just long enough for me to register uncertainty… Her finger twitched. Anxiety? _"… A rather obvious answer."_ Keeping her head lowered, as she always did, the White Hood raised her arm, and moved it slowly through the air from right to left, indicating the 'dream-space' that we were standing in.

_"No…!"_ For the first time, I spoke to the White Hood with a slight amount of force… Defiance, even… Like a mother, weary of her daughter telling lies, I stood my ground. _"… _You_ know what I mean…"_ I held my arm parallel to the ground, and pointed straight at her. _ … I was asleep until a moment ago… And at some point, I'll wake up again, for real, this time."  
><em>

_"… A 'dream within a dream', you say."_ The White Hood smirked. _"By now you're familiar with the experience of opening your eyes, thinking back, and finding that familiar gap in your memory… You just went through it now, as you've pointed out."_ I said nothing… I wasn't sure where she was going with this, but I had nothing that I wished to say at this point. _"How many times do you think you'll have to 'wake up', before you forget the first time, do you think?"_ She questioned. _"Each jump makes it a bit more difficult to recall, doesn't it? After all, you only realized that we've been talking outside of this River… Just now, it would seem. Did it _ever_ occur to you,"_ the White Hood shook her head ominously, _"that maybe, just maybe, you've been dreaming for this entire Game?"_ The thought shook me. _"Maybe… You've been asleep for your entire life. What inclination is there to say otherwise?"_

_"… Why… Who are you? _Why_ are you following me? What do all of these… Messages mean?"_ I struggled to keep my voice steady, the oppressive atmosphere of the area weighing me down, crushing my throat.

_"And what messages would-"_

_"_Chess…!_"_ I said it, finally… My frustration was evident in my tone; biting, and harsh. _"You… You always talk about _chess…_ And this was before I knew about CHECKMATE… And now, you're telling me 'not to give up', it's like you _knew_ what was going to-"  
><em>

_"I didn't." _This time she cut _me_ off._ "She didn't- _you…_ Didn't… _Don't…_ Ugh…"_ Burying her face in her hand, and confusing me with her multiple self-corrections… It sounded as though the White Hood, for the first time since I'd heard her singing in this very tunnel, was losing her composure. _"… None of us knew. I just know what has happened, just as you have, and will continue to."_ At a loss for words, I attempted to read her emotions from her face, but of course, I couldn't even see it.

_"I'm… _We,_ are just following the paths that have already been walked."_

_"… What… What are you talking about…?"_ I stared her down as she moved closer… But then I felt myself begin to awaken, being pulled from the dreamscape, away from the White Hood.

And unexpectedly… She laughed. "_Heh… As much as I've… Enjoyed _our_ company, I'm afraid that this is the last time we will be talking like this. 'The End is nigh', it seems._"

_"What do you…"_ I tried to talk, but my body refused my commands; I white shroud began to creep in from the edges of my vision, and my body began to fade out.

Now right in front of me, the White Hood's face, at least the lower half, was finally visible to me; gazing at the small, fragile-looking nose, soft lips, and the overall delicate facial structure inches away from mine, I was struck with a sudden feeling of déjà vu. My body slowly rose into the air, lifted by invisible skyhooks, like a certain 'Great, Glass Elevator'; even now, my figure faded out of sight; sparkling with an ethereal light, I instinctively reached down to the White Hood, half-expecting her to grab me, and pull me back down to the ground… But she didn't even look up.

_"… It's time. Your Soul should have recalibrated by now"_ To my surprise, the White Hood reached back towards my left hand with her own left hand. _"Fare thee well, 'Katy'…"_ At last, the White Hood lifted her head up, and looked right at me… With her face finally visible to me, I felt my heart skip a beat.

Her skin was of a much lighter tone than mine… As pale as Death itself, and paler than even the Black Cat's, by far… But even then, it was a different kind of pale… Her skin seemed to almost… glow, with a soft light.  
>Her hair was no different; again, brighter than my own, auburn hair, the White Hood's bright, flame-like vermillion cut was short; the right side tucked behind her small ear, save for one strand…Which hung stubbornly near her right eye, only slightly kept up by a silver hairclip decorated by carvings…<br>My stomach lurched, and my body froze. Her eyes were by far, the most unsettling part of her… A lighter, ghostlier shade of violet greeted me; almost shining, like every other part of her… Minor differences aside, it was, undoubtedly…

"… _Take care not to hurt yourself."_ She grinned in a disturbingly friendly manner. _"After all…"_

It was, undoubtedly… My own face.

"… _That's _my_ body that you're using."_

Right before her hand touched mine, I vanished completely, and everything went white.

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

The Angel sat patiently, watching the young lady bolt upright, hyperventilating from the stress of what the Angel thought must have been some kind of nightmare.

"_Ah…! Hah… Hah…_" The young woman placed a hand over her mouth; her skin was flushed, and her eyes were wide; her breathing came in sharp, but steady, gasps.

"… What were you dreaming about, young lady?" The Angel asked, simply; it was in the Angel's nature to act so friendly.

"… I…" She breathed out, but then resumed her panicky breathing. After several seconds, her breathing slowed. "… I… I don't remember." With her free hand, the girl clutched the side of her head, bringing the other off of her mouth, and in front of her face; staring into it, as if it were not her own. "There's… A feeling…" She turned her hand over, continuing to inspect it.

"`… Were your memories _really_ your Entry Fee…?" The Angel's head tilted to the left, considering the girl.

"… What are you saying?" Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the Angel; her breathing and heart rate having slowed to the norm.  
>The Angel merely stared.<p>

Silence.

"… Do I know you…?" She said, finally, not bothering to stand up from the ground.

"Not… Exactly." The Angel smiled. "You might know me as someone else… But nope, we've never met like this."

"How did you know about my Entry Fee?" The girl fired off another question as soon as the previous was answered.  
>The Angel's face grew dark; the Angel held up a single black Pin… A white skull emblazoned upon it. "Well, I didn't Scan you, that's for sure."<p>

"You're a Player…?" Her voice sounded uncertain… Players should have a Partner with them. _But then again,_ she looked around the space, quickly, _where's _my_ Partner…?_ "Where… Are we, anyway?" The young woman wondered aloud. Her vision seemed to have a monochrome filter on it; the only colour she could see was on her person, as well as that of the enigmatic figure sitting a few metres away.

"I guess it kinda_ looks_ like the Scramble… But this is the _Imaginary Plane_ within Pork City."  
>Now that she thought about it, the young lady realized that the strange person was the <em>only<em> person in the immediate vicinity; the 'Scramble Crossing' was almost certainly an imitation from this 'Imaginary Plane'… Everything was in black and white, and the air was eerily silent; almost like sitting in an old movie reel. Just as she was about to try Scanning, the Angel spoke up.

"Oh, missus," the Angel pointed to the Player Pin, "you're gonna want this back." With a chuckle, the Angel flicked the Pin over to the girl, who caught it with ease.

"You took my Player Pin…?" Slightly more cautious, the girl got to her feet, and took a few steps back, away from the Angel.

"Don't worry," the Angel, still chuckling, also stood, "I really didn't Scan you. Promise." When the girl simply stared, the Angel laughed out loud, hands held up in a conciliatory gesture. "Look, Players can't be Scanned. Your Player Pin protects you from any potential Scanners-"

"But since _you_ had it-"

"_And,_" the Angel threw the girl an amused look, and continued, "that protection will continue to work, no matter _where_ your Pin is. Even when I had it, I couldn't Scan you." To the Angel's chagrin and further amusement, the young woman now looked rather horrified and indignant. "… Even if I had wanted to. Or tried. Which I didn't." The Angel quickly added, clarifying the point.

"… Fine, I'll believe you, but if you'll excuse me," the young lady began to walk towards the 104 Building, "I have to find my Partner."

"… You're taking all of this rather well." The Angel noted; the jovial tone previously present in the Angel's voice had now gone. "If this had happened on Day 1, I think your Soul would've just… Collapsed, don't you?" The question held little meaning to the girl; she hardly even knew what the Angel was talking about. But even so, the statement made her stop in her tracks.

"… I suppose," she answered without looking. "I'm honestly not entirely sure if I'm still dreaming… And whether I am or not, I feel… Different. My body and mind feel like they're on a different wavelength… Something's changed me… Something's been imprinted upon me."

"Or maybe," the Angel laughed, "the Imprinting is disappearing." A wide, triumphant grin spread across the Angel's face, confusing the girl further. "Oh… Don't mind me; just talkin' to myself, here." The Angel waved. "You should probably… Go find your Partner." He finished, still smiling.

"… I will." The girl looked at the odd figure one last time. "Well then… Goodbye." Quickly bowing her head, she bid the Angel farewell, and ran off.

As the girl ran out of earshot, the Angel's smile slowly melted away; now, in its place, was a determined grimace. Pulling out a black Phone, the Angel dialled a few numbers, and waited for the person to pick up.

_Ring…  
>Ring…<br>Ring…_

_Click_

"_Hello?_" A boy's voice issued from the phone.

"Ah, great, are you all there?" The Angel asked.

"_Yeah… Everyone's here._" The boy replied.

"_We're ready._" A different voice, a girl's, also sounded from the speakers.

"_We gots this, yo!_" Yet another, a low, male voice, joined the others; almost immediately, it was followed by one more: A calm, female voice.

"_Take it easy, everyone; 'the best laid plans of mice and men'__…_"

"Great," the Angel chuckled again, before speaking in a low tone. "Okay, guys… The counterattack begins now."

* * *

><p>"What's happened?!" The King shouted furiously, his fist slamming against the monochrome graffiti wall of the Imaginary Plane's Udagawa.<p>

"Sir… The Producer," the Queen responded with a strong voice, despite obviously being rattled. "… It would seem as though _He_ has locked _us_ out…"

"He reversed the Proximity Lock…!" The King gritted his teeth, and clenched his fist even tighter. "How like Him, to utilize the Imaginary Plane in this fashion… Is the Pawn's Imprinting intact?" He barked, as the Queen ran her hands across the area, her eyes closed in concentration.

"… The… Majority of it has been Erased by the Producer, sir." The Queen rallied her information to the King, whose face twisted into a contorted sneer.

"… 'Majority', huh?" The King, aptly titled, did not lose his cool… Rather… "… What's been Erased completely, and what parts of the programming is left… And how much?"

It seemed that the Queen had already thought to figure that out, as she answered right as the King stopped talking. "The Proximity Erase Protocol's base Code has been completely eradicated, sir," she shook her head, "He was very thorough; there is a 0% chance that the sight of the Producer will trigger an attack from the Pawn."

"Go on." The King nodded, his face appeared more or less calm, but it was very easy to tell that he was enraged; his entire frame trembled, threatening to explode at the slightest provocation.

"Of course, the actual Proximity Lock has been rendered inert for the time being; unlike the incident on Day 3, the Lock has_ not_ been disabled, rather, until the Pawn is out of the Imaginary Plane and the Producer's influence, and/or falls unconscious, the Lock's effects upon you and the Producer are, and will remain, inverted."

"That's fine, I'll simply have to tweak the Code the next chance I get; don't stop." The King snapped his fingers, and pointed at the Queen.

"Next, the Proximity Reset Protocol; also gone, save for several strings…" The Queen ran through a number of 'Protocols' that had also been Erased, before… "Lastly, Proximity Conduct… There's enough of its Code remaining for it to be _somewhat_, useful…"

"_How_ useful?" The King clicked his tongue with the air of a man who did _not_ have time to waste.

"The effects… Should hold until the Pawn is actually _aware_ of them, after which-"

"After which, her Soul will reject the programming, and the entire Imprinting sequence will be Erased, yes… Rrgh… I did _not_ expect this…" The King stomped at the ground in frustration. "… It was a good move. I was foolish to use Pork City as a stage…"

"So," the Queen continued, undeterred, "in summary, the only intact Protocol is Proximity Lock, though it's currently inverted, and the Proximity Conduct will likely work once, before failing, Erasing itself, as well all of the remaining Code."

"We could cut our losses, and use that Proximity Conduct to execute the Composer or the Producer." The Rook, who was leaning on a nearby wall, spoke up. "… That's right, I'm still here, you guys."

"Rook, now is not the time…!" The Queen shot him a disapproving look.

"Though I appreciate your enthusiasm, Rook, if there is one thing that I don't do, it's _resign._" The King ground his teeth together, producing an unpleasant noise.

"But without the Lockout procedure, the entire plan's not gonna work, right?" The Rook pointed out, extremely nonchalant. "I don't like it either, but the fact is that we need to take out _both_ the Composer and the Producer to succeed, _at minimum._" The Rook pushed off of the wall, and walked towards the Queen. "If we use Conduct, we can probably take _one_ of them down, and if we lose the Pawn-"

"_When_ we lose the Pawn; neither the Angels are _not_ going to tolerate the Erasure of One of their own, even if He _is_ Fallen, and in the event that the Pawn Erases the Composer, it is _highly_ likely that the Pawn will become the new Composer, _by which time_, we will have _no_ influence over Her, _only serving to make our next attempt,_ if we even _get_ another attempt, because believe me, She _will_ hunt us down if She has the tiniest inkling of sense, which she does, indeed, appear to have, _even more difficult!_" The Queen's voice, surprisingly, did not raise itself as much as the Rook had expected, though, as she continued to talk, her words came out faster and faster, until she finished, glaring at the Rook's calm face.

"… Then Erase the Producer; we'll find a new Pawn." The Rook answered, after thinking for about a second.

"No." The King interjected. "She is perfect; as strong as her Soul is, her Imagination is insufficient under Composer standards."

"Wait, really…?" The Rook's eyebrows shot up, and his mouth opened slightly in shock. "But… How is can she be _that_ strong, if her Imagination's below a Composer's?"

At this, the King merely smirked, and tapped the side of his temple with a finger, as if to say 'think about it'.

"Solution, sir." All of a sudden, the Queen perked up. "With the remaining Code radicals from the Proximity Reset Protocol, the partially Erased radicals of the Proximity Erase Protocol, and the current active string of the main Proximity Lock, it _is_ possible to rebuild Lockout," she spoke quickly, "albeit, with slightly different effects…"

"Name them." The King instantaneously replied, listening intently.

"Their Queen, Promoted Queen, Bishop, Knight, and Rook would be contained in a new kind of Code, but their King would have to be held in a separate container…"

"If that's the only way forward… " The King approved; a grim look on his face.

"Wait, if you're using Reset's parts," the Rook cut in, sounding rather like he was talking about car parts, more than anything else, "then… Wouldn't the main container have… A Soul?"

"Well… Yes." The Queen acknowledged with a displeased look. "It's not the most optimal of plays, but at the very least, the Proximity Erase Protocol's influence would yield a persona without any memories.

"So… You're planning on _creating a Soul_, rather than give up on this Game and try again later…?" The Rook asked incredulously.

"Do it." The King said, unhesitatingly.

"… Really goin' through with this?" The Rook looked at the King.

"A fundamental of Chess is 'adaptation', Rook…" The King smirked. "The Game has changed, and so we must change our play to fit it… Am I not correct?"

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

As I closed in on the 104 Building of the 'Imaginary Plane', the world began to warp; the ground caved beneath me, and I stumbled forward… I touched down easily enough, but when I looked up, I was in another place entirely.

"What in the…" My mind reeled as I cast my gaze around the room.

I was standing in a simple, rectangular hall; no doors, and not even very large… I could cross its width in two bounds, and run its length within a matter of seconds. At the very least, the floors and walls were polished wood; clean, and rather pleasant to look at; the lighting reflected nicely off of the varnished surfaces, at multiple angles; if I wasn't careful, I could easily catch the glare in my eyes. _Was I… What _was_ I doing…?_ That feeling again; the feeling that I had experienced time and time again: Waking up, only to find that my memories were lying _just_ out of reach… Slightly too far to recall, and yet _just_ close enough to know that they _are_, indeed, there; they do exist. I turned my attention back to the room. The most distinguishing feature was the row of elevators; almost impossible to miss, one of the long sides of the rectangular room was lined with three elevator doors…

Feeling compelled to leave the centre for last, (some strange moment of OCD, perhaps,) I pressed the button for the left elevator ; the humming of machinery filled the room before the doors slid open with a lovely 'ding'.  
><em>Nothing unusual there…<em> The elevator on the right, however, refused open… And as for the middle…

_Ding!_

"Watch it!"

"_Wah!_" Unbidden, a shriek leapt out of my throat, as Magokoro Muki and the two Tetsuyous tumbled out of the doors, almost bowling me right over; seemingly, the three had decided to cram themselves into the lift all at once.

"_Ah,_" Sprawled over the wooden floor, Hiro looked up at me, and let out a sound of pleasant surprise, "_Murasaki-san da!_"

On reflex, I immediately sighed, staring down at the tangle of limbs and cloth before me. "You _really_ need to stop doing that…" The 'Japanese' now followed me even outside of Ramen Don… Was there no escape?

"Come on, 'Vio', don't be like that…" Muki grinned as he picked himself, and the Tetsuyou siblings, up. "You can call me 'Big Guy', if you like."

"It's not the nickname that I have a… You know what? It's fine." I shook my head, and dropped the issue, although, Hiro's big eyes rapidly ran across my face, looking rather suspicious of me. "… It's not the nickname." I assured the boy, my arms folded in a firm gesture.

"Where _were_ you, anyway?" Muki checked me over, inspecting my face, torso, and arms for any signs of trauma. "We've been lookin' all over for you!"

"I was… In some kind of black-and-white space… I think." It was so quick; so surreal; the transition from that strange monochrome world to this room had been so instantaneous, that I still doubted whether it had happened.

"I think that that's called the 'Imaginary Plane'," Koushi spoke up, "Mr. Muki said that it's something of a parallel world."

"Something like that; don't let it bother you too much." Muki nodded in agreement, seeming slightly impatient.

_Right…_ I thought to myself. _Now I remember… Someone in _that place_ told me as much… What did they look like…?_ As I wracked my brain, trying and trying to evoke the memories that I had lost not ten minutes ago, Muki loudly clapped his hands, shaking me back to reality.

"Okay, okay, now that we've regrouped and all," Muki reached into his hoodie pocket, and tossed something bright towards me… I caught it without blinking, and…

"My phone…?" I asked, my voice containing a trace of astonishment. "Wait, why do _you_ have my phone-"

"Found it, you must have dropped it," he explained, ushering all three of us to the elevator, "but that's not important! We have about 20 Minutes left!" As the Tetsuyous and I cleared the threshold, Muki swiftly hit the 'Up' button inside the lift.

I held up my left palm, and read the words on my phone screen… Sure enough.

_21:17…  
>21:16…<br>21:15…_

**[Bout VI: Crush the Noise on Pork City. You have 25 Minutes. Fail and be Erased.]**

… _Why do I keep missing these…?_ Groaning slightly, I shook my head, and prepared for battle.

* * *

><p><strong>Reaper Side<strong>

The wind whistled through the spacious rooftop of Pork City; a natural, peaceful kind of sound; the wind carried with it, an atmosphere of calm, visions of an idyllic morning, an old-fashioned wood cabin, a rocking chair on the porch, a cat swatting lazily at a ball of yarn… All these thoughts, and others, found their way into Katy's head; her idealistic image was instantly shattered, unfortunately… The moment that the young Player moved out of the elevator, onto the roof, she realized that it was already occupied; as her boot made contact with the cold, concrete surface, everyone else stepped forward.

_Step…_

_Step, step, step…_

_Step, step, step, step…_

_Step, step, step…_

Like an assembly of actors, gathering on the stage, the eleven gathered on the rooftop of Pork City Tower walked forward in sync, and then… Everyone stopped.

* * *

><p><strong>Player Side<strong>

_What… Exactly have I walked into…?_ Was my first thought; I can remember it very vividly, even now.

Indeed, it appeared as though I had intruded into the middle of some kind of altercation… Awaiting Hiro, Koushi, Muki, and myself on the tower's peak, were seven people, split into two groups … Each Facing off against the other.

On one side, there were four teenagers… I almost did a double-take; two of their members, I didn't recall ever seeing before: A tall, blond boy with a white skull design-black beanie, white tank top, and yellow shorts, and a short, blonde girl with a matching, smaller white skull-emblazoned black beanie, orange top, and white shorts; however, the other two…

"It's them…" Muki stroked his chin, eyeing the orange-haired target from Day 3, and the girl that we had Scanned on the same Day.

"… So it would seem…" I was, in particular, interested in the 'ex-Player'; we never _did_ get a chance to converse, and his appearance here was certainly making things that much more intriguing…

As for the other side, the familiar figure there was the Black Cat. I could only assume that…

"It's CHECKMATE…!" Muki told us in a deep, dark manner. Clearly, the entirety of CHECKMATE was not present, considering their numbers. But as for the members present …

Their ranks included the Bishop, the Black Cat herself, of course, as well as a laid-back looking, Middle-Eastern man with a physique somewhere in-between 'lanky', and 'well-built'; light stubble was showing on the man's face; he wore a navy-blue hoodie with artistic, white feather marks… He was likely one of the two that Muki had seen…

_The Rook… Isshin Genkata._ I thought to myself.

Next was a woman who was only little taller than me… her hair was a pale shade of blonde, which been tied into a high-ponytail, reaching as low as her upper-back; dressed in an immaculate white kimono, and an equally-striking hakama… The katana that was strung to her right hip served to further evoke an image of regal dignity.  
>Before I could analyse her further, her steel eyes, startlingly, slid to the left, and locked onto me; immediately, I felt the sensation of a pressure weighing down upon me; a projection of her fighting spirit<p>

… This woman was, most definitely… The Queen.

One Day left.

* * *

><p><em><strong>6th Day – Turnover<strong>_

* * *

><p><strong>Ahah!<br>I am leaving you hanging **_**again.**_

**But I have plans, mheheheh… **_**So**_** many plans… This is good.**


End file.
